THE PADDOCK CLUB at Chester Racecourse
An exclusive invitation in 2020
Chester Racecourse invite you to take part in something unique this 2020 season. Join the history books of the oldest racecourse in the world and experience a race day you’ll never forget. Thrilling racing action from the finest seats in the house, combined with the very best food, drinks and service. The Paddock Club awaits‌
Established in 1539, we have had years of honing the very best race day experience for our guests. In 2016, we launched the award-winning Paddock Club, a bespoke luxury facility, created for the benefit of key sponsors, partners and selected guests of Chester Racecourse. Located just metres past the finishing post, this facility provides an intimate setting for eating, drinking and meeting, combined with spectacular views of the track – unrivalled by any other location around the course. The private roof-top terrace provides the perfect vantage point from which to cheer home the winners of the day and an exquisite selection of food and drink forms part of this exceptional race day offering, complemented by personal, attentive service throughout the day.
Your race day experience in the Paddock Club will distil into unforgettable memories for you and your guests to cherish for years to come. We hope you will take the opportunity to join us in 2020 to watch and enjoy history being made. To take up this exclusive opportunity, please contact Kate Dawson Head of Sales 01244 304 637 07817 458 904 kdawson@chester-races.com
The Experience. From start to finish, you will be personally looked after by our attentive team. No request is too big or small to ensure your race day is one to remember.
Sample Itinerary 11:30am
1:30pm
Arrive at Chester Racecourse. Our concierge team will arrange your VIP parking, present you with our premier admission badge and lanyard and personally chaperone you across the track to the Paddock Club.
Study your complimentary racecard, watch the racing replays on screen and select your winner in the next race. Our Chester Bet team are on hand to take any wagers throughout the afternoon.
11:40am
2pm
Meet your Paddock Club host who will greet you with a glass of Laurent-Perrier Brut and show you around the facility.
Your host will escort you to the Parade Ring ahead of your chosen race, for a money can’t buy experience. Get up close to the runners and riders before they head out onto the track and perhaps catch a word with a trainer or two.
11:45am Settle into your surroundings and enjoy the gourmet grazing menu and well-stocked complimentary bar. 1pm The first race is about to set off, take your places on the spectacular private roof-top for fantastic views of the racing action.
5:45pm After the final race is run, move across the track to the private members roof of Restaurant 1539 and continue the celebrations into the evening.
The 2020 Racing Calendar at Chester Racecourse. chester-races.com
May Boodles May Festival Tuesday 5
July Friday 10 Together Ladies & Gents Evening
City Day
Saturday 11
Wednesday 6
City Plate Day
Ladies Day
Saturday 25
Thursday 7
Midsummer Meeting
Tote Chester Cup Day
Saturday 23 Roman Day
June
August Sunday 2 Family Funday
Saturday 22 Saturday 13
Clogau Ladies Day
Summer Saturday
Friday 26 Ladies Evening
Saturday 27 Matthew Clark Summer Festival
September Friday 11 Autumn Festival
Saturday 12 Autumn Festival
Saturday 26 Season Finale
During the Roman occupation of Britain, most of the modern sixty five acre site of Chester Racecourse was not even dry land.
Established in 1539, Chester is the oldest racecourse in the world still in operation. A brief history of racing on the Roodee and why it remains the racecourse to visit for horsemen and spectators alike.
In fact, it was an important harbour on the River Dee, which supplied the roman garrison of Deva, (now the city centre section of modern day Chester), and for those interested in ancient history, some of the anchor stones used at the roman port can still be observed at the current racecourse site. After the departure of the romans, and following several centuries of river action, silt produced an island in the river, and a stone cross was built on the island. The current name for Chester racecourse of - The Roodee - is a mixture of the Norse and Saxon languages, and means The Island of the Cross. By the early middle ages, the construction of a weir system on the river caused much larger quantities of silt to be deposited, and the original Roodee was converted into a riverside
meadow, and this lay the foundation for the area to be eventually turned into a racecourse. It is worth noting, Chester has three major footnotes in the history of modern era horse racing. The first recorded prize given to the winner of a horse race, a hand painted wooden bowl, was presented to the winner of a horse race at a Chester fair in 1512. The second footnote revolves around Henry Gee, who became Mayor of Chester in 1539. One of the many reforms Gee introduced, was an annual horse race meeting on the Roodee. The original prize of a silver bell was presented to the winning owner of “The horse that ran before all others”. The start date of this event makes Chester Racecourse the oldest continuous site of horse racing in the British Isles and the oldest racecourse in the world, still in operation (as recognised in the book of Guinness World Records). Finally, due to his involvement, and love of horse racing, Henry Gee’s name
became synonymous with race horses, as today they are still often called, ‘gee gees’. By 1817, the vast crowds attracted to the annual Chester races made it economically viable to build the first grandstand. This proved to be an unqualified success, as the tight nature of the track enabled race goers to watch and enjoy every facet of the racing action. During the nineteenth century, Chester races attracted: “The most perfect mix of society from all over the British isles”. This is a proud tradition the racecourse continues up to the present day. In recent years, Chester has extended its racing programme, staging fifteen days of competitive and quality racing. However, the prime event remains the three day festival meeting in early May, and with historic races like the Chester Cup, the Chester Vase, the Ormonde Stakes, the Cheshire Oaks, and the Dee Stakes. This three day meeting attracts top racehorses
from Britain, Ireland, and often further afield. A racecourse not only steeped in history, but also renowned for its style, innovative nature and of course, inimitable racetrack. There are few more thrilling sights in British Racing than the horses thundering into the final furlong at Chester. Much like competitors around the tight track turns, the team at Chester move quickly, stay balanced and tight to the curve. In recent years, the unique setting of the Roodee has grown to encompass many purpose-built facilities from which to enjoy a raceday at Chester, serviced by an award winning team and accompanied by mouth-watering menus an an extensive selection of wines and Champagnes. This winning combination, culminating in the ‘Chester experience’, is what we are famed for. Jockeys, trainers and racegoers, whatever the result, all return home with a smile on their face.
chester-races.com