The History of City of Chester and Its Racecourse

Chester Racecourse, 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 visitors per day at its race meetings. It was Chester Racecourse that showed how to do well with Sunday racing and tens of thousands now goto the Roodee for the yearly family fun day in August. The July meeting at Chester Racecourse, held over 2 days, is one of the most well-liked racing events of the summer. It is fascinating to note that Chester racecourse is built over the silted up old port of Deva.

Chester City

Chester celebrates its folk heritage with concerts, dances, 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 period of the Saxon Minster, which in 907 housed the remains of St Werburgh. Chester Castle, set in the angle of the city walls boasts the best Norman architecture in the city. The Normans constructed a castle at Chester not long after William the Conqueror took control of England.

Circled by a 2 mile ring of medieval and Roman walls, Chester is fashioned 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 remains of a Roman amphitheatre were excavated in the 1960s and can be viewed opposite the Chester Visitor Centre (on Vicar's Lane).

Chester Racing

Racing at Chester's historic Roodee course dates back to the early 16th century, making it the country's oldest racecourse. There has been racing at the Roodee at Chester for around 450 years and the joy of seeing a race at Chester unfolding before your eyes from the chic surroundings of the course’s enclosures or the vantage point of the City walls is an impressive experience. Tudor Kings and Queens ruled England when horse racing began 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 outstanding demands on the capabilities of jockeys and their mounts with races run continually on the turn. For many it is the perfect 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 2 days, is one of the most fashionable racing events of the summer.

Chester racecourse is the oldest in Europe and regular race meetings are held throughout the year. With spectacular views over the track 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 United Kingdom for 3-year-old thoroughbred colts and geldings run over a distance of 1 mile 2 furlongs and 75 yards (2,080 metres) at Chester Racecourse in May. The race is so named because Chester Racecourse is situated at the edge of the River Dee.