Chester racecourse is a horseracing track  located in Chester, Cheshire, England. It is famously known as the Rodee. The racecourse is owned and managed by Chester Race Company Ltd. Racing there dates way back to the sixteenth century, making it one of the most ancient racing tracks in England. Despite its small size of approximately 1.8 km in length, Chester attracts a tremendous crowd of about 250,000 people in the 15-event season that runs from
May to September. The races held there are strictly flat races. It is seated on a 65-acre piece of land on the banks of River Dee, making it a beautiful venue to watch the races from.

It is said that the ancient Romans established Chester as an anchorage point where they could access the Irish Sea from. This made it a busy trading port, and was later left abandoned as a public land after silt had covered it. Years later, it became a home for the Goteddsday football match, which was banned in 1533 for its violent nature. Horse racing was then introduced in 1539, and the first race was recorded in February of the same year. Since then, races have been taking place every year at Chester racecourse. In 2008, a restaurant was opened up in the racecourse named “1539”. This marked the year in which the first race took place there.

The most notable races held in the racetrack are the Chester Cup and the Cheshire Oaks. The Chester Cup is a handicap race, and was first run in the year 1824. It is run over a distance of 3,746km, and is only open to horses aged four years and above. Cheshire Oaks on the other hand was inaugurated in 1950. It takes place every May, and is open to horses aged three years. The race is run over a distance of 2,281 meters.

Pontefract racecourse is a horse racing track located in Pontefract, Yorkshire, England. It is owned and managed by the Pontefract Park Race Company Ltd. The course is left- handed, and is about 5km long, with the last three furlongs steeping up a hill, making the finish very challenging. The course hosts flat races, and is considered as the largest flat racing track in the whole of Europe. It is easily accessible by public transportation, making it convenient to most racegoers. By train, one can choose to either use the Glasshoughton orTanshelf station. Bus services are also available and run frequently from Pontefract to Castleford.

Racing at Pontefract racecourse began way back in 1648. Back then, races occurred at the meadows near Pontefract. They however ceased happening in 1769 due to unknown reasons, and resumed in 1801. Unlike other racecourses, Pontefract remained functional during the World War 2. It was used as a venue for important races such as Lincoln Handicaps. It became the first racecourse in 1952 to install a photo finish, but was among the last racecourses to stage evening meetings.

The most notable races held at Pontefract are the Pontefract Castle Stakes and the Pomfret Stakes. The Pontefract Castle Stakes takes pace every June, and it first happened in 2005. Only fillies and mares are allowed to take part in the race. Pomfret Stakes on the other hand is scheduled for every July. It first happened in 2004, but was run as a handicap race. This year, the racecourse will be holding a total of six fixtures, three of them being Evening meetings and the other three being Sunday Meetings. There will be live concerts, with the Bootleg Beatles performing on the 20th of July after the racing. The racecourse will also be hosting the annual Ladies Day on the 8th of August, where the best dressed lady will be awarded with a holiday for two to the Dominican Republic.

The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 steeplechase run over 3 miles at Kempton Park on Boxing Day. The race was inaugurated in February, 1937, and was named in honour of King George VI, who ascended to the throne, unexpectedly, in December, 1936, following the voluntary abdication of his older brother, King Edward VII. Horse racing at Kempton Park lapsed for the duration of World War II, when the site served as a reception camp for prisoners-of-war but, when racing returned in 1947, the King George VI Chase was rescheduled for Boxing Day.

Worth £250,000 in guaranteed prize money, the King George VI Chase is invariably the highlight of a bumper Boxing Day programme and, in terms of prestige, is second only to the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Indeed, the race forms the second leg of the so-called ‘Jockey Club Chase Triple Crown’, which offers a £1,000,000 bonus to any horse that wins the Betfair Chase, King George VI Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season.

The most successful horse in the history of the King George VI Chase was Kauto Star, trained by Paul Nicholls, who won five times from six attempts between 2006 and 2011. That said, a total of fifteen horses have won the race more than once, with Wayward Lad (1982, 1983 and 1985) and Desert Orchid (1986, 1988, 1989 and 1990) among other notable multiple winners. Arkle, arguably the greatest steeplechaser in history, won the King George VI Chase just once, by a distance, in 1965, but would have won again in 1966, but for sufffering a career-ending injury during the race.

Paul Nicholls has won the King George VI Chase a remarkable 12 times, including five times in the last 10 years, so it is no real surprise that Bravemansgame, who won the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase, over the same course and distance, last Boxing Day, is prominent in the ante-post betting for the 2022 renewal. Favourite, though, at the time of writing, is the dual Ryanair Chase winner, Allaho, trained by Willie Mullins.