Market Rasen Racecourse & Betting Review: Best Events, Top Offers and Facts

To get you off on the right foot, we’ve started things off by putting together this clean, concise table where you can see what some of the better betting sites in the UK offer for Market Rasen with regard to betting types, welcome bonuses, payout prices and special event promotions. As we continue down the page we’ll be sharing some interesting historical facts, some general stats and figures, technical course info and more. When you’re done, you’ll be ready to go and bet on the different races at Market Rasen like a pro.

The Turf Itself

Market Rasen Racecourse is slightly odd, especially when viewed from the air, as it is shaped almost like a rectangle, which means it has four sharp turns. Perhaps its most distinctive feature is its home straight, which many jockeys have stated is a lot longer than it first appears. The obstacles are easy by all accounts and there are few undulations. Given the high number of events held here, the ground can get pretty testing, especially during the winter when temperatures drop and there’s considerably more rainfall. General, though, the surface tends to suit nimbler, faster types. It’s a course where proper pacing often proves crucial as the long home straight, which has two hurdles or three fences, is where it is often won or lost. It’s here when the real champions start to break away from the rest, and it’s extremely difficult to make up ground if you find yourself wanting at this stage.

Most Popular Market Rasen Racecourse Horse Racing Events

Market Rasen Racecourse horse racing features four key events: the Prelude Handicap Hurdle, the Prelude Handicap Chase, the Summer Handicap Hurdle and the Summer Plate. The Prelude Handicap Hurdle is a Listed National Hunt hurdle race run over a distance of around 2 miles and 10 yards and is reserved for horses aged three or older. Its sister race, the Prelude Handicap Chase is also a Listed National Hunt event but it is run over a distance of around 2 miles, five furlongs and 110 yards and is for horses aged four and above. Both are staged during the September meeting.

The next two feature races are staged during the same meeting at the end of July and are probably the most prestigious. The Summer Handicap Hurdle achieved its Listed status in 2008 after the distance was reduced by a furlong – it’s now run over 2 miles and 110 yards and is for horses aged three and older. The Summer Plate was awarded Listed status in 2005 and is now run over 2 miles, five furlongs and 110 yards and is reserved for horses aged over four.

Some Interesting Facts

Despite being a fairly small course with not too many highly prestigious events, the Market Rasen Racecourse horse racing track has attracted some top trainers, horses and jockeys to its turf over the years. Dan Skelton, a British trainer based in Warwickshire has won a total of 38 chases and hurdles at the venue and has an average strike rate of 30%. A young trainer who was once an assistant to the legendary Paul Nicholls, he’s managed to earn £250,000 worth of prize money in the four seasons he has been a trainer.

Racecourse Information:
First Opened:	1924	Market Rasen Racecourse logo The Grandstand at Market Rasen Racecourse
Max. Race Distance:	2m 5f 110y
Surface:	Turf
Track:	Market Rasen Racecourse
Average Temperature:	1°/20°
Racecourse Capacity:	15000

Probably the most famous horse to have won here was Snoopy Loopy, an Irish-French-bred chestnut gelding trained by A P Boxhall. He won the Summer Plate at Ludlow in 2008 before going on to win the Grade 1 Betfair Chase run at Haydock Paydock later that same season. Harry Skelton, son of the show jumping Olympic gold medalist Nick Skelton, has chalked up an impressive 29 wins at Market Rasen. In 2017 he reached a landmark as he raced 100 winners to victory in a season for the third consecutive year. Market Rasen betting is a major market for UK betting sites largely due to figures such as these, and is up there in comparison to other tracks.

Market Rasen Racecourse: The Story so Far

Before Market Rasen found its current home on Willingham Road in 1924, racing was staged around the area in several locations for about a century before. A meeting that was named Feast Week was staged every year throughout the 19th century; it was the only fixture that held there until another meeting – a steeplechase event – was added in an attempt to beef up the schedule. After 1924 horse racing found a permanent home at its current site after a few good-spirited gentlemen managed to secure enough land. It would, however, be a long time before Market Rasen horse racing betting would emerge as a properly regulated, licensed activity in the UK.

In 1967 the Market Rasen horse racing track came under the ownership of the Racecourse Holding Trust (a subdivision of The Jockey Club) in 1967. Ever since then the course has undergone some redevelopments which have seen it evolve into a top-draw equestrian racing and training venue. It also hosts a number of music events, which has seen the likes of Nile Rogers, the Kaiser Chiefs and George Ezra feature, and is also available for hire for weddings, business conferences, fairs, cultural shows and more.