Newcastle Races Guide

One of Britain's busiest racecourses, hosting over 60 all-weather and jumps fixtures a year, Newcastle is the pride of the North East for racing fans.

Located within High Gosforth Park, the racecourse plays host to major contests both on the Flat and over jumps, while also providing top-quality post-racing entertainment within earshot of the thriving city of Newcastle. 

Here's our guide to Newcastle racecourse.

What	Fighting Fifth Hurdle
Where	Newcastle Racecourse, Gosforth Park, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
When	Saturday, 2nd December 2023
How to watch	bet365 Sports Live Streaming, ITV & Sky Sports Racing

Key Races at Newcastle

Flat

- Northumberland Plate
- Chipchase Stakes
- Burradon Stakes
- All-Weather Finals Day Good Friday

Jumps

- Fighting Fifth Hurdle
- Eider Chase

Newcastle is the premier racecourse in the north-east of England, catering for all tastes via their excellent Tapeta all-weather course and the turf track that hosts some excellent jumps fare during the National Hunt season.

The Northumberland Plate was first run at the Gosforth Park location in 1882 and it has remained there ever since.

The race is amongst the most prestigious of Britain's staying handicaps and in 2022 it witnessed one of the most extraordinary displays as Trueshan won for Hollie Doyle and Alan King, defying a handicap mark of 120 and becoming the highest-rated winner of a UK handicap in three decades. 

The Tapeta track at Newcastle is one now well-established as one of Britain's best synthetic surfaces and the popularity of Gosforth Park as a venue led to the All-Weather Finals Day moving here from Lingfield in 2022 – with the £1m raceday now taking place at Newcastle on Good Friday each year. 

Over jumps, Newcastle's big day arrives in early December with the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, a Grade 1 event over two-miles that dates back to 1969 and has been won three times by the likes of Comedy Of Errors and Birds Nest. 

More recent winners include Harchibald, My Tent Or Yours, Irving, Epatante and, in 2022, the outstanding Constitution Hill as he gave trainer Nicky Henderson a record eighth win in the race. 

The four-mile-plus Eider Chase is a severe test of stamina that has been held at Newcastle since 1952 and it is often viewed as a good trial for the Grand National at Aintree, with Comply Or Die winning both contests in 2008.

Track Layout

In December 2013 owners Arena Racing Company, announced plans to change the flat turf course into an all-weather track while retaining a turf jump racing course at Newcastle. 

The left-handed oval track was created in the likeness of Wolverhampton using Tapeta. It differs from the majority of the all-weather tracks in that as well as a round course, it has a floodlit straight mile.

That straight mile can lead to lots of dramatic finishes as leaders can find it difficult to tough things out in front, with the complexion of races often changed dramatically inside the final quarter of a mile.

The jumps track at Newcastle is left-handed, galloping and with a steady uphill rise from the home turn to the winning line. The course is stiff in nature and that lends itself to steadily-run races that can become a dash to the line in the home straight.

It is generally considered advantageous to be on the stands rail. The fences are a proper test of jumping but fair in nature with a line of three in the home straight ensuring nothing is decided too early. 

Visiting Newcastle

The vibrant city of Newcastle is a stone's-throw from the racecourse, which is located just to the north of the Tyneside town at Gosforth Park.

Racing at Newcastle is very popular and, since the track was redeveloped, the Northumberland Plate weekend in June now brings in £30m to the regional economy.

The dress code at Newcastle is generally relaxed. For feature days such as Ladies Day, dressing smartly is recommended. Some of those feature days also host 'Best Dressed' competitions, ensuring patrons could win prizes for their fashion efforts. 

As with all of Britain's all-weather venues, appropriate attire is vital when visiting in the winter months for one of Newcastle's many Friday evening race meetings as racegoers need to protect themselves against the elements. 

There's a wide selection of places to grab a quick bite or refreshing beverage at Newcastle Races and, if you don't want to be too far from the action, the enclosures offer lots of variation.

The MFB Stand Bar is in the Premier Enclosure, while Blaydon Bar – named after the nearby town, with associated famous Blaydon Races song – is located in the Grandstand and the Eider Bar is a tribute to one of Newcastle's most coveted jumps races. The Craft Corner offers an array of craft ales in the Grandstand enclosure.

There are a wide selection of food stands and eating options, while patrons are invited to bring along their own picnics on certain racedays and, for that traditional experience, the Border Minstrel Pub is the perfect country inn located inside the grounds of Gosforth Park.