Ayr Racecourse
Date of Review: 11th August 2025
RCA Reviewers: Dave & Ray
Address: 2-6 Whitletts Rd, Ayr, Ayrshire, Scotland, KA8 0JE
Website: https://www.ayr-racecourse.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ayrracecourse/
X: https://x.com/ayrracecourse
Email: info@ayr-racecourse.co.uk
Phone: 01292 264179
Accommodation: https://www.booking.com/landmark/gb/ayr-racecourse.en-gb.html
Track Layout: Flat & Jumps Courses: (Images acknowledged & credited to Timeform & At The Races)
Course Information: (Flat Course) Ayr is a dual-purpose racecourse for both flat and jumps racing. It is left-handed, oval-shaped, with a circumference of approximately twelve furlongs. It is a track that suits galloping types, as the turn coming into the home straight is downhill with a reasonably long run in to the winning post of around half a mile. Straight sprint races up to six furlongs can be run and are started from a chute. This straight course is notably wide, allowing sprint races to be run with a field size of up to 28 runners. Due to this, such races are often run in groups down the sides and the centre of the course. The course characteristics change markedly due to the weather conditions, and it can be extremely gruelling in the winter when the ground is heavy.
The Jumps course has nine fences per circuit for the steeplechase races and six flights for the hurdle races, both of which are thought to be of average difficulty. With the downhill turn approaching the slightly uphill finish, it can be tricky for even the most accomplished horses and jockeys. It has a run-in to the winning post of around one furlong after the last fence. Heavy ground is not uncommon during the winter, so hold-up horses who come from behind tend to do well.
The Racecourse Advisor Guide to Ayr Racecourse:
The racecourse is situated on 155 acres of land on the West coast of Scotland and holds the accolade of being the country's only Grade 1 racecourse. It is the largest racecourse in Scotland with a capacity of 18,000. It is located approximately forty miles away from Glasgow, ninety miles from Edinburgh, and approximately eight miles from the famous Royal Troon golf course.
Location Map – Ayr Racecourse
It hosts both flat and jumps fixtures and holds around thirty racing fixtures throughout the year, with the flat season being from May to October and the jumps from November to April.
The feature races of the respective seasons are the Ayr Gold Cup, which is held on the flat in September, and the Scottish Grand National over jumps in April. Ayr has a rich history and tradition, with racing in the area dating back to the mid-16th century. However, the current racecourse was built much later, in 1907. For almost fifty years, it held only flat racing, with jumps meetings first being held in 1950 and the arrival of the prestigious Scottish Grand National as recent as 1966, after the demise of the Bogside racecourse located at Irvine nearby. Only one horse has ever completed the double of winning the Scottish National and the Aintree Grand National in the same year, and that is the legendary steeplechaser, Red Rum, who achieved this remarkable feat in 1974.
The racecourse was acquired by two local businessmen in 2003, and this proved pivotal to its current success. Since then, an investment of over £20 million has been made in the racecourse to improve and update the course facilities significantly. This includes an exhibition and banqueting centre, as well as the Ayrshire Suite, which was opened in 2008 at a cost of £4.5 million.
Course Access:
By Road: Unless you are a local, getting to Ayr Racecourse is a bit of a trek. It's situated a mile from the centre of Ayr. The M77 links Ayr with Glasgow, which is only 37 miles away, and Edinburgh is an 83-mile drive. If travelling from the south, take the M6 north up to the A74(M) at Gretna Green. After 68 miles, take the A71 towards Stonehouse/Strathaven. After 22 miles travelling towards Kilmarnock, take the A77 south towards Coodham/Symington. Continue until you reach the A719 to Ayr, continue onto Whitletts Road and then follow the signs for the racecourse.
By Rail: Ayr railway station is around a 15/20 minute walk to the racecourse. ScotRail operates trains from Glasgow Central to Ayr every 30 minutes.
By Air: The nearest airports to Ayr are Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK), which is only 3 miles away, and Glasgow Airport (GLA), which is 29 miles away. Edinburgh Airport (EDI) is 76 miles away. Rating: 6/10.
Parking: Free parking is available in the public car park, which is located near the main entrance, but keep your eyes peeled as it is not very well signed (turn left at the McDonald's as you approach the racecourse on the left-hand side). It is then about a five-minute walk to the main entrance. If you miss it, like we did, then take the next left immediately past the racecourse, at Craigee Road, and a few hundred metres down on the right is a public free car park, which is also about a five-minute walk to the main gate. Rating: 6/10.
Pricing: On the day of our visit, it was a Monday afternoon, “August Raceday” flat racing fixture. It was a six-race card, consisting of two Class 4 races and four Class 6 races, so it was very low-level racing. The racecourse operated a “single enclosure” policy (which we like), which provided full access to both the Club and Grandstand Enclosures and all areas of the racecourse. Tickets at the gate on the day were priced at £23.00. However, if ordered online in advance, an “Early Bird” ticket could have been had for £18.00. Concession tickets were available for those over the age of 60 at £17.00. A student ticket, with appropriate ID, was £10.00. Under-18s are allowed free entry into the racecourse. There was also a “Summer Sizzler” offer of admission, a racecard, a drink and a snack for £35.00. Unfortunately, the racecourse charges a £2.50 “Fulfilment Fee” when ordering online, which in our opinion is totally unnecessary and nothing but a rip-off! It is also a bit of a faff when ordering online, as you have to register and create an account for some unknown reason. Also, when you have ordered and paid online, you don’t get the tickets immediately. The racecourse has to manually process the order at their end and then send the e-tickets separately. However, you are not informed of this before or after you have paid when online, so you have no idea where the tickets are. An email confirmation is then sent to the email address you signed up with. To us, it just seems like making life a little more difficult than it needs to be. Rating: 6/10.
Racecard: Hats off to Ayr for one of the best course maps that we have seen in a racecard, multi coloured and could have just done with a Key/Legend as we still can’t figure out what "BC" in a red circle means in the Ayrshire Suite and also The Princess Royal Stand. The racecard had just 28 pages, which is very light indeed for the £3 required to enjoy the 6 full pages of advertisements. However, hidden away was a £2 voucher, which we mentioned in the review, making the overall cost more realistic. This voucher was redeemable on any food and drink purchase from Silks Cafe, which was the only outlet open on that day anyway! There was a whole page dedicated to the menu for Silks cafe, which had a local flavour to it, offering Loaded Chips with Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese Haggis.
Viewing: The overall viewing experience at Ayr Racecourse is very good. The horses can be seen for around 95% of the time while in running and are only out of sight for a short time due to some trees that obstruct the view as the horses start going down the back straight.
The Princess Royal Stand (left) & the Viewing Experience (right) – Ayr Racecourse
The main enclosure is called the Princess Royal Stand. It is an old stand and has a down-at-the-heel feel about it. It has around ten concrete terraced steps at the front, which have no cover and are open to the elements. There is seating on the second level. The seating is made up of three rows of plastic fold-down chairs. However, due to the large gap between the front chairs and the stand rail, people stand in this area, which completely blocks the view from the seats, so to watch the races, you need to stand up. It also has a row of metal stanchions across the full length of the stand, which also impedes the view from the seats.
Also, the finishing line appears to be at a slight angle, so therefore, even if you are positioned directly in line with the winning post, it isn't easy to see which horse got home first in a tight finish. There is a large portable TV screen, but for some unknown reason, this is positioned some distance past the winning post. There is also a second large TV screen, which is placed on the left-hand side of the bookmaker's concourse.
The Rothesay Stand – Ayr Racecourse
The racecourse does have another stand called the Rothesay Stand, which is positioned way past the finishing post and at the start of the turn. However, we were informed that this stand is only ever used for corporate hospitality, and it was closed on the day of our visit. However, apart from a few quirks, the overall viewing of the horses when racing is very good. Rating: 9/10.
Parade Ring / Winners Enclosure: The Parade Ring is large in size, and measures 83 metres (Cheltenham is 72 metres). It is oval in shape and positioned to the right of the Princess Royal stand, immediately behind the Rothesay Stand.
The Parade Ring –Ayr Racecourse
Due to its large size, the viewing at the Parade Ring is very good, even without any raised viewing platforms. On the day of our visit, full access around the perimeter of the ring was allowed.
The Pre-Parade Ring & Saddling Enclosure – Ayr Racecourse
The Winners Enclosure is located directly at the front of the Parade Ring. At the back of the Parade Ring on the right-hand side, there is a small pre-parade ring and saddling enclosure. However, both access and viewing are restricted and not very good. However, due to the overall size of the Parade Ring and the viewing, we were impressed. Rating: 10/10.
Bookmakers / Betting Facilities: The main on-course bookmakers are located on a large concourse area directly in front of the entrance to the Grandstand Enclosure and the Owners Club entrance.
The Main Bookmakers Ring – Ayr Racecourse
On the day of our visit, there were seven on-course bookmakers in attendance in this area and a further two bookmakers located in the bar area of the Princess Royal Stand. There is also a large William Hill betting concession at the back of the bar area. There were also a good number of Tote outlets scattered around the racecourse, but some of them were closed, which surprised us. However, getting a bet on is not a problem. Rating: 8/10.
Catering: Here at Racecourse Advisor, we enjoy doing “racecourse reviews” rather than restaurant reviews, and we do not pretend to be food critics. We simply aim to provide you with an overall idea of the culinary options and prices available at the racecourse on race days. On the day of our visit, the catering options were poor to say the least. The only outlet serving up food on the racecourse was the Silk’s Café located in the far corner of the bar area in the Princess Royal Stand.
The Princess Royal Bar & Silk’s Café – Ayr Racecourse
The bar was selling Tennent’s Lager, Caledonian Best, Magners Cider and Guinness at £5.50 a pint. All spirits were £4.20 a shot. Deluxe spirits (Jack Daniels, etc), along with all liqueurs, were £4.70. A glass of red or white wine was £5.50, and all soft drinks were £2.20 each. To be fair, these are the cheapest prices we have seen on any racecourse for a very long time. There was also a small bar/booth selling drinks at the back of the main concourse near the on-course bookmakers' area for the same prices.
Silk’s café was knocking out fish & chips, chicken goujon, Katsu Curry, three cheese macaroni, a cheeseburger and roasted vegetable lasagne for £8.00 each. Loaded chips with a variety of fillings, a portion of chicken tenders, or a peach, Parma ham, watermelon and mozzarella salad for £7.00 each. Tea or coffee was £2.00 a cup, and a selection of ice creams was £3.00 each. The bar area was also selling Kilmarnock Pies (steak) for £3.50 each. We did sample one of these, and to be honest, they were good! Once again, some of the lowest-priced catering we have come across on our travels. Also, if you had bought a racecard, there was a £2 off voucher which could be used at Silk’s Café, which brought the prices down even further. The downside being that, as it was the only catering outlet on the racecourse, the queues were huge!
There were no street food vendors at all on the racecourse, and as there was a decent crowd in attendance, it would have easily sustained a few of them. For a racecourse that claims to be “Scotland's Premier Racecourse”, the catering options, in our opinion, were very poor indeed. Rating: 5/10.
Guinness Standard: Draft Guinness was available at the bars for £5.50 per pint, which, as stated above, is the cheapest we can remember it being at any racecourse we have visited. However, unfortunately, there was a catch… It was also the worst pint of Guinness we can remember drinking at any racecourse we have visited. It was served in those ultra-thin plastic pint pots where you have to double up, so you at least have a chance of being able to pick it up. The head, which should be white, smooth, and flat, was bubbly and a horrible grey colour. The drink itself was thin and very watery when it should have been thick and creamy. Needless to say, we didn’t finish them and left them on the table, as in our opinion, they were undrinkable. Once again, Scotland’s self-styled “Premier Racecourse” really does need to up its game in this area. Rating: 3/10.
Friendliness of Course Staff: We had little interaction with any course staff during our visit. However, the two stewards who were attending the main gate and scanning the tickets were friendly and helpful. Rating: 7/10.
Pros & Cons: Unfortunately, the cons outweigh the pros at Ayr Racecourse. The £2.50 “Fulfilment Fee” is nothing but a rip-off, and they need to be called out about it. It’s not an easy racecourse to get to unless you are a local. The parking is not the best, as it's a five-minute or so walk from the car park to the main entrance. The catering outlets and options for a racecourse that claims to be “Scotland’s Premier Racecourse” are very poor indeed and need to be significantly improved. The Guinness was shockingly bad and will be remembered for all of the wrong reasons for a long time to come. The pros are that the overall viewing experience is very good, and the food and drinks are relatively very cheap when compared to virtually all of the other racecourses we have visited south of the border.
As always, here at Racecourse Advisor, at the end of each review, we ask ourselves the question, would we return? The answer is an emphatic no. The racecourse is not easy to get to, and has a very tired feel about it, and needs significant investment to upgrade and improve it. Rating: 5/10.
Wi-Fi/Internet Connection: A good, free internet connection is available at the racecourse, and you only need to enter your name and email address to get online.
Overall Racecourse Advisor Rating: 6.6/10.
The entire day's racing results can be found here: https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/meeting/2025-08-11/ayr/113643
Layout Map of Ayr Racecourse (image acknowledged & credited to Ayr Racecourse Ltd.)
Aerial View of Ayr Racecourse (image acknowledged & credited to Google Earth)
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