The History of the City of Chester and its Racecourse
Chester Racecourse
Chester Racecourse, also known as the Roodee, is according to official records the oldest racecourse still used England. Chester Racecourse is now ranked as the 4th greatest attended in the whole of Britain, averaging 18,000 people per day at its race meetings. It was Chester Racecourse that showed how to thrive with Sunday racing and tens of thousands now pack the Roodee for the yearly family fun day in August. The July meeting at Chester Racecourse, held over two days, is one of the most well-liked racing events of the summer. It is interesting to note that Chester racecourse is built over the silted up old port of Deva.
The City of Chester
Chester celebrates its folk heritage with concerts, dancing, workshops, displays, crafts and children's events, featuring many local and national folk performers. Chester also boasts a great cathedral founded in the 10th century. The story of Chester Cathedral can be traced back to the time of the Saxon Minster, which in 907 housed the remnants of St Werburgh. Chester Castle, set in the angle of the city walls boasts the best Norman architecture in the city. The Normans built a castle at Chester not long after William the Conqueror took over England.
Circled by a two mile ring of medieval and Roman walls, Chester is shaped by 2,000 years of history. In Roman times Chester was known as Castra Deva (pronounced Dewa), meaning "the military camp on the River Dee" (places in England whose names contain the letters "chester", or which end in -caster or -cester, were areas for Roman military camps). The remnants of a Roman auditorium were excavated in the 1960s and can be viewed opposite the Chester Visitor Centre (on Vicar's Lane).
Chester Horse Racing
Racing at Chester's historic Roodee course dates back to the early sixteenth, making it the country's oldest racecourse. There has been racing on the Roodee at Chester for around 450 years and the thrill of seeing a race at Chester unfolding before you from the sophisticated surroundings of the course’s enclosures or the vantage point of the City walls is an impressive occurrence. Tudor Queens and Kings ruled England when horse racing started on The Roodee.
There are a few more thrilling sights in British Racing than the horses powering into the final furlong at Chester, a circular course that makes exceptional demands on the capabilities of jockeys and their mounts with races run repeatedly on the turn. For many it is the ideal weekend to merge horse racing with the delights of shopping and eating out in the city of Chester.
The Dee Festival celebrates the prominent position of both Chester and Bangor-on-Dee Racecourses on the banks of the River Dee, allowing racegoers to experience the buzz of racing with all the magic. The July meeting at Chester Racecourse, held over two days, is one of the most popular racing events of the summer.
Chester racecourse is the oldest in Europe and regular race meetings are held throughout the year. With stunning views over the course and the River Dee, Chester Racecourse is located within the historic and beautiful City of Chester, one of Britain’s best heritage cities.
The Dee Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in the UK for three-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings run over a distance of 1m 2f 75yds (2,080 metres) at Chester Racecourse in May. The race is so named because Chester Racecourse is situated on the banks of the River Dee.
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