As summer settles in and the turf firms up, the flat racing calendar hits full stride. This is the heart of the season, when the sport’s great institutions come alive, and Britain’s most storied racecourses play host to high-stakes action.
It’s a time of colour, crowds, and competition, where old favourites return to defend their titles and emerging stars try to make their names.
With Royal Ascot 2025, the July Festival, and the Ebor Meeting at York amongst others all fast approaching, here’s a look at which courses are getting the most punters through the doors over a busy summer of flat racing. Read on to find out more.
Royal Ascot: Setting the Standard
Royal Ascot establishes itself as the clear attendance leader in British racing, attracting more than 350,000 spectators across its five-day meeting.
This translates to approximately 70,000 attendees per day, making it the most commercially successful fixture in the racing calendar.
Several factors drive these impressive numbers. The royal presence provides a ceremonial element that appeals beyond traditional racing circles, while the meeting’s position in the social season attracts fashion-conscious attendees alongside racing enthusiasts.
The diverse racing program – featuring the Gold Cup for stayers, the Prince of Wales’s Stakes for middle-distance horses, and key two-year-old contests – ensures broad appeal across multiple days.
Even Ascot’s other fixtures perform strongly. The Shergar Cup, which pits Great Britain, Rest of the World, Europe, Ireland and Girls, against each other in a team format performs strongly with around 30,000 spectators – impressive for an event lacking Group 1 races.
The King George Day is another popular summer fixture at Ascot, with tens of thousands of racing fans descending on the course for one of the premier middle distance races of the season, while British Champions is a fan favourite, ending the campaign in style with five world-class Group 1s.
Epsom Derby Festival: Single-Day Champion
While Ascot leads in total attendance, Epsom’s Derby Festival delivers the highest single-day figures in British racing.
The unique layout of the Downs allows free public access to extensive viewing areas, contributing to crowds that can reach 130,000 on Derby Day alone.
This concentration creates both challenges and opportunities. Accommodating such numbers requires sophisticated logistics, while the high attendance density allows premium pricing for hospitality facilities with optimal views.
The Derby maintains its position as a cultural event that transcends racing’s core audience.
As the premier middle-distance test for three-year-olds, it continues to attract casual spectators alongside dedicated racing followers.
York’s Ebor Festival
York Racecourse demonstrates exceptional attendance performance for a venue outside the southeast, with its four-day Ebor Festival regularly approaching the 60,000 capacity.
The meeting features the Juddmonte International – consistently rated among Europe’s highest-quality races.
York’s ability to draw approximately 350,000 attendees annually is particularly notable given its northern location away from major population centres.
The Ebor Festival benefits from strategic scheduling in late August when many potential visitors are on holiday, plus a balanced racing program that combines elite contests with accessible handicaps like the Ebor itself – Europe’s most valuable flat handicap.
Newmarket
Newmarket, the home of flat racing in Great Britain, is unique as it has two top-class racecourses as well as some of the biggest yards and breeding operations in the world, including the National Stud, and the National Horseracing Museum.
The iconic Rowley Mile is the most prominent of the town’s two courses, hosting the first two Classics of the season—the 2000 and 1000 Guineas, as well as regular meeting throughout the season, including two-year-old day in October, which is like Champions Day for juveniles.
Newmarket’s two courses reveal how structural constraints can limit attendance potential.
Despite hosting big races on the Rowley Mile and the July Course homing the definitive July Cup sprint championship and its status as racing’s historic headquarters, attendance is capped at approximately 20,000 at both venues.
This consistent sell-out status indicates significant unmet demand. The venue’s heritage configuration, while contributing to its charm and character, restricts revenue generation despite offering top-quality racing.
The contrast between Newmarket’s constraints and the larger capacities at Ascot and York highlights the importance of infrastructure investment in maximising commercial returns from premier racing fixtures.
Doncaster’s Season Finale
Doncaster’s St Leger Festival, marking the conclusion of the Classic season in September, generates attendance of around 50,000 across its duration.
While representing solid commercial performance, these figures fall below Royal Ascot and Epsom partly due to challenging seasonal timing – competing with back-to-school commitments and the conclusion of summer holidays.
The St Leger’s attendance demonstrates the commercial value of Classic race fixtures even within challenging calendar positions.
As the oldest Classic and final leg of the Triple Crown, the race maintains heritage appeal that drives attendance despite sometimes featuring smaller fields than other Classics.