Haydock
Date of Review: 3rd December 2025 (Second Review 11/9/24. First Review: 30/11/22)
RCA Reviewers: Dave & Ray
Address: Warrington Road, Newton-Le-Willows WA12 0HQ
Website: https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/haydock/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HPRaces/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/haydockraces
Phone: 01942 725963
Hotel Accommodation: https://www.booking.com/landmark/gb/haydock-racecourse.en-gb.html
Track Layout: (Image: courtesy of & acknowledged to At The Races/Timeform)
Course Information:
Haydock Racecourse is located in the North West of England, equidistant between Manchester and Liverpool, and set in 127 acres of picturesque parkland. It is a left-handed, dual-purpose (both flat and jumps) course that is oval in shape, and it is around 1 mile and 5 furlongs in circumference. It is considered to be a fair course, flat, with few undulations, gradual bends, and lengthy straights. It has a very long run-in of four and a half furlongs, which rises gradually all the way to the winning post. There is a chute that connects the main track to create a six-furlong straight, used for sprint races.
The course changes significantly as the season progresses. During the summer, it can be extremely fast when the ground is firm, but it can become very gruelling during the winter months when the conditions are softer. When the ground is firm, the course suits good galloping types of horses that have speed. During the winter, races can become more tactical, requiring patience, and jockeys often move to the rail on the stand side, which is less muddy, as races are frequently a test of stamina.
The steeplechase course consists of 10 portable fences per circuit, with a run-in of around two furlongs after the last fence has been taken. The hurdle course is located inside the chase course and therefore has much tighter bends and is sharper overall. Haydock is the home of several prestigious races, which include the Haydock Sprint Cup, the Lancashire Oaks, the Betfair Chase, and the Grand National Trial. It is a very busy racecourse that hosts around 32 fixtures throughout the year.
History: Haydock Racecourse has an interesting history, dating back to 1751 when the “Newton Races” were held on Golbourn Heath, some two miles from the current racecourse. Flat race meetings were also held at Newton-Le-Willows between 1807 and 1898. It was in this year that Lord Newton leased 127 acres of parkland to build Haydock Park. The Old Newton Cup, which is run at Haydock, is the last link between this course and today’s Haydock Park. Haydock Park hosted the first-ever two-day National Hunt meeting in 1899. In 1908, Sydney Sandon became the Secretary of the racecourse and later became its Chairman and Managing Director. Due to his unstinting, hard work and endeavour, Haydock Park became established as one of the top racing tracks in the country.
The racecourse was closed between 1939 and 1945 due to World War II, when it was used for storage by the American Air Force, which was based at the RAF base in nearby Burtonwood. In 1948, the late, great Lester Piggot, who was widely regarded as the “finest jockey ever to ride on British turf,” won his first ever race at Haydock Park, riding a horse called The Chase, when he was aged just twelve. There is a memorial statue of him at the racecourse, which was unveiled on his 70th birthday to celebrate his extraordinary career of 4,493 wins, including nine Epsom Derby victories.
Statue of Lester Piggott – Haydock Racecourse
The Racecourse Advisor Guide to Haydock Park Racecourse:
In 1965, Haydock prospered further following the closure of Manchester Racecourse in 1963 and the transfer of the prestigious Lancashire Oaks race to the course. In 1966, the Sprint Cup was introduced into the Haydock flat racing program, won by Be Friendly, owned by the late Sir Peter O’Sullevan.
Statue of Be Friendly – Haydock Racecourse
To this day, there is a statue of Be Friendly behind the Parade Ring at the racecourse. In 1990, the new grandstand opened, helping cement Haydock Park as one of the top dual-code racecourses in the country.
The Racecourse Advisor Guide to Haydock Racecourse:
Location & Course Access:
By Road:
Haydock Park is very well located, just one mile from junction 23 of the M6, and it is well signed as you leave the motorway. Travelling from the south on the M6,6, exit at Junction 23 and turn right onto the A580 East. The main entrance is on your left after half a mile. If your sat-nav tells you to exit at J24, that is also OK. It just brings you in from the opposite end of the road. From the north, visitors should exit the M6 at Junction 23 and turn left onto the A580 east. The main entrance is on your left after half a mile; again, it is very well signed. From the West and East, use the A580 East Lancs road and follow the signs to Haydock Park, or use the postcode WA3 3QP on your Sat Nav.
By Rail:
Travelling by train to Haydock races can be a bit tricky. The nearest train station to Haydock Park Racecourse is Newton-le-Willows, which is circa 5 miles away. This station is available on trains running from Manchester Piccadilly, Victoria, and Oxford Road to Liverpool Lime Street. On the main London to Glasgow line, the nearest stations are Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western, which are both approximately 8 miles from the racecourse. A free shuttle bus service is available from Newton-le-Willows station, but only on certain ‘big race’ days. Therefore, it’s not a bad idea to check beforehand if required on 0845 000 125.
By Air: Liverpool Airport (LPL) is 14 miles from the racecourse. Manchester (MAN) 16 miles. London Luton (LTN) is 83 miles. London Heathrow (LHR) 91 miles. Leeds Bradford (LBA) airport is 48 miles away, and Birmingham (BHX) is 80 miles away. Private helicopters and small aircraft are able to land in the centre of the racecourse by prior arrangement. Call the Racecourse Office on +44 (0)1942 402609. Rating: 9/10
Parking: Before we discuss the parking arrangements at Haydock, we think it’s only fair to give the entrance to the racecourse a mention. As you turn off Warrington Road to go into the racecourse grounds, you are met by a very long, beautiful, tree-lined boulevard, which runs the full length of the racecourse, all the way down to the general admission area car park. It really does look stunning and leaves you in no doubt that Haydock really is a Premier League racecourse.
Free parking is both easy and plentiful. However, there is a strict ‘hierarchy of car parks’ at this venue. Parking closest to and immediately adjacent to the main entrance is for owners & trainers only. The next car park is for racegoers who have booked hospitality facilities.
Further on is the car park reserved for the Bookmakers, and finally, furthest from the entrance, is the vast gravel car park for the normal racegoers. It’s around a 200 metre walk from the car park to the racecourse entrance. Entry to and exit from the car park are both quick and easy. There are plenty of disabled parking spaces directly outside the main entrance. Rating: 9/10
Pricing: On the day of our visit, it was the Wednesday afternoon “COPYBET Christmas Afternoon Jumps Racing Raceday.” It was a seven-race card featuring four Class 4 races, one Class 3 race, and two Class 2 races. Tickets into the County Enclosure, which gives you access to all areas of the racecourse on the day, were priced at £27.50. However, if you booked online in advance, they could be had for £22.00 each and £19.80 each for a group booking of six or more people. We, however, took advantage of a Jockey Club promotion to buy tickets 6 months in advance for £10.00 each.
Concession tickets were available on the day for £22.00. Under-18s get it free when accompanied by an adult. While the purchase of 6-month advance tickets for £10.00 was a genuine bargain, and the online advance purchase of £22.00 was decent value, in our opinion, the £27.50 gate price was excessive for a winter, midweek meeting leading up to Christmas.
There were a couple of upgrade options, starting with the Premier Lounge. For £50.00 a ticket, you get full access to the County Enclosure and also access to a dedicated area with views overlooking the racecourse and the winning post. It has indoor seating (not guaranteed), a private bar, lounge seating, and a dedicated viewing balcony (standing room only).
If a corporate hospitality option takes your fancy, then the “Classic Restaurant Experience – Kauto Star” was available for £145.00 per ticket. This got you admission into the restaurant, a two-course carvery menu, tea and coffee, reserved parking and a racecard. For £190.00, you could have had a “Harry’s Bistro - VIP restaurant experience.” Situated on the second floor of the Centenary Stand, it has superb views across the racecourse and on the finishing post. You get admission, reserved parking, a glass of champagne on arrival, a dedicated table, and a four-course à la carte menu. Tea and coffee after your meal, a cashless bar and private betting facilities, and a racecard thrown in for good measure. Both Racecourse Advisor reviewers who visited the course for this review have been fortunate enough to experience this hospitality area on a couple of occasions previously, and we highly recommend it.
Racecard: The racecard offered very little beyond the Timeform-extracted runners and riders for each race. It was composed of 48 pages, and 22 of those were full advertisements/racecourse promotional material, which at 46% of the overall content is high. It did, however, have a layout map, which, as always, is very useful, and on checking back to our visit in 2022, it was also the same map that was in the race card then, The price was £3.50 (up from £3.00 last year) Here at Racecourse Advisor, we have discussed at length on this site the long-term viability of the racecard and how, going forward, each course could digitise the racecard and offer it as a download.
Our feedback from racecourses up and down the country suggests that the cost to produce a quality racecard far outweighs the benefits to the course. As such, we were excited to be able to download the Haydock Park App before our visit, and on this, we noted that there is a racecard that shows the colours, form, and ratings, but doesn’t allow you to drill down on each horse, and also, the form comments are not included. The card only appears on the day of the race. The App does update after the race with the results, but we couldn’t see the SP (Starting Prices) /odds of the horses placed.
Screenshots – Haydock Racecourse App
There was also a fantastic interactive map feature that showed your actual position on the course, and by tapping the screen, you could see which facilities were nearby, and if you needed more information, you could tap on the facility on the screen. The App was intuitive and well laid out. We liked it, so well done, the Jockey Club. We can see from the App Store that other Jockey Club courses also offer this App. Future improvements to the App may mean the printed racecard eventually has its day? The App can be downloaded from your respective App Store. Rating: 8/10.
Viewing: There are five viewing enclosures at Haydock Racecourse: the Tommy Whittle stand, the Centenary stand, the Grandstand, the Makerfield Stand, and the Be Friendly stand.
The Viewing Enclosures – Haydock Racecourse
The good news is that, regardless of where you are standing or sitting at Haydock, the viewing experience really is first class. The horses when in running can be seen 100% of the time. All the stands, except the Be Friendly stand, have seating. They also all have coverage; however, this is limited, and those standing or seated nearest to the racecourse have no protection and are open to the elements.
The Tommy Whittle Stand (top & bottom right) & The Lawned Area (bottom) – Haydock Racecourse
The largest and main viewing area on the racecourse is the Tommy Whittle stand. It is a large, imposing enclosure over four floors, bang in line with the winning post. On the ground floor, it has plenty of fold-up plastic seating and excellent views. At the very top of this floor, there is a viewing balcony that immediately backs onto the main bar areas via some glass doors.
Another nice feature, and one that helps make the racecourse very picturesque, is the vast lawned area between the running rail and the concourse, which runs the full length of all the stands. Here are 75 wooden picnic tables and benches (yes, we counted them) that give additional seating and great views of the racecourse, immediately in front of the running rail. There is also a portable large TV screen situated around half a furlong from the finishing post.
Overall, the viewing experience at Haydock is genuinely excellent. Rating: 10/10.
Parade Ring / Winners Enclosure: Here at Racecourse Advisor, we like a nice parade ring, and the one at Haydock is gorgeous. It is large, turfed, with numerous large trees both inside and outside the ring, and troughs of colourful flowers on the floor, adding to the scenery. It is railed off, with a Hornbeam hedge running all the way around the perimeter. There is no pre-parade ring at Haydock, but there is a stables area at the back end.
The Parade Ring - Haydock Racecourse
The only slight downside is that access is available only around 65% of the ring. This is due to the jockeys/weighing room and an owners and trainers facility being directly positioned on the right-hand side. However, given its overall size, this isn’t a problem.
Another huge positive is the viewing. Apart from being able to stand directly next to the running rail, there are also several raised viewing platforms. There is also an accessible viewing platform for wheelchair users situated on the right-hand side.
The Parade Ring Raised Viewing Areas (side & front) & the Accessible Viewing Area in the Parade Ring - Haydock Racecourse
The winners' enclosure is situated inside the parade ring, at the front. Yet again, the viewing is superb, and you can get close up and personal to the horses, jockeys, and connections. This area of the racecourse really is top class. Rating: 10/10.
Bookmakers / Betting Facilities: The main site for the on-course bookmakers is on the concourse/apron in front of the Tommy Whittle stand; however, there are also bookmakers in front of the Grandstand and the Makerfield stand, and there were plenty in attendance on the day of our visit
On Course Bookmakers - Haydock Racecourse
There are also three bookmakers pitched directly at the side of the parade ring. So if something takes your eye while parading, you can have a quick flutter. Something we had not seen before was the bookmakers, who had stands directly in front of the racecourse, dropping their odds boards as the races commenced to allow better viewing for the racegoers in the stands. Nice touch, we thought. There is also a large William Hill concession at the back of the paddock area, on the way to the parade ring. This, together with Tote outlets literally everywhere you turn on the course, getting a bet on and getting paid out is no problem whatsoever. Rating 9/10.
Catering: Here at Racecourse Advisor, we enjoy doing “racecourse reviews” and not restaurant reviews. Nor do we pretend to be food critics. Our aim is to give you an overall idea of the culinary options and prices available at the track on racedays.
There is no shortage of bars or catering facilities at Haydock Park, that is for sure. As the Chasers bar was closed, the first bar we went into was the Sandon Bar/Lancaster Suite, situated on the ground floor of the Centenary Stand.
The Sandon Bar/ Lancaster Suite – Haydock Racecourse
It is a very large, spacious area, carpeted with plenty of wooden tables and barstools. The Lancaster Suite, adjacent to the bar area, is a large lounge with leather sofas and chairs for relaxing. Here they were serving draught Guinness, Staropramen, Madri, and Aspall Cyder for £7.80 a pint. A pint of Worthington was £7.20. House wines of red, white, and rosé, all at £9.00 a glass. A bottle of Prosecco Brut will set you back £48.00, A good selection of spirits for £6.25 each (25ml), and various soft drinks, mixers, and cordials for £3.00 to £3.60 depending on your choice. We have to say those prices are right at the top end of any racecourse we have visited in Great Britain in recent years, and almost a double-digit increase in price from our last visit 12 months ago.
We then ventured upstairs to the Horseshoe bar and suite. Once again, a very large, open, glass-fronted area, with views overlooking the racecourse, and doors that take you out onto a viewing balcony and seating area.
The Horseshoe Bar - Haydock Racecourse
It's a modern, spacious area that serves the same drinks as the Sandon bar, at the same prices. There are also plenty of other bars located throughout the racecourse, such as the Moet Chandon bar, a smart-looking champagne bar situated in the paddock area, just near the parade ring, or the Grandstand bar on the ground floor of the Grandstand itself, and the Wine bar.
The Moet Chandon & Grandstand Bars – Haydock Racecourse
Also, next to the Parade Ring and the owners' & trainers' facilities is the Paddock Club Bar.
The Paddock Club Bar – Haydock Racecourse
This is a very modern, smart-looking bar with wooden tables and high chairs, and it served the same drinks at the same prices mentioned above.
As on the day of our visit, several other bars were also closed, such as the Makerfield Lawn bar, the Pimm’s Garden bar, and the Chasers bar. Regarding the food outlets, there is no shortage of them at Haydock. The first one we came across was an outlet called the Pie Shop, which is situated on the ground floor of the grandstand, next to the wine bar. Once again, like all the outlets at Haydock, it was spacious, with a separate dining area featuring plenty of tables and chairs.
The Pie Shop Food Outlet and Bar Area – Haydock Racecourse
It was knocking out a Lancashire pulled lamb hot pot pie for £6.50 each. A spiced traditional butternut squash & spinach pie for £5.50. A festive turkey, cranberry, chipolata & stuffing version for £6.00. and a mature cheddar & onion sausage roll for £5.00. Add £1.50 if you would like mushy peas and gravy. They all looked pretty good to be honest, but we went for the pulled lamb hot pot pie with peas and gravy, and it was very tasty indeed. If you’re looking for a quick snack, then this is the place to be.
We then visited “Crumbs”, which, this time last year, was called “Coole’s Kitchen”, another food outlet located on the first floor of the Centenary Stand. It’s a bright area with wooden floors, high tables, and chairs.
Crumbs - Haydock Racecourse
This outlet was serving up exotic delights such as the “Italian Stallion,” a sandwich of Rosemary, Focaccia, nduja, salami, mortadella, Parma ham, and salad, for £9.00 each. Or a pulled pork baguette with Chinese BBQ pork, Asian slaw, pickled chilli and soy dressing for £10.00, or how about The Reuben, which was Ciabatta, pastrami, cheese, dill pickle, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing for a tenner as well. Maybe the offerings were just a little too exotic for the midweek racegoer, as we walked past the place numerous times during the day, and it was entirely deserted each time.
In addition to the above, there was only one street food/street truck vendor on site, which was open on the day of our visit, which was a little bit surprising, as we thought there would be more. It was the Burger Box, located at the back of the Grandstand, just to the right-hand side of the main entrance.
Street Food Burger Van – Haydock Racecourse
It was dishing up modern-day street-food classics, such as a 6oz burger with cheese, lettuce, bacon, onions, and sauce, for £12.50. A cheeseburger, with chips for £11. 00. Or a spiced chicken burger, with curried slaw and lettuce on a brioche bun for £12.50. There was also a vegan patty burger, with the same accompaniments for £12.00.
The other outside catering option was the outside coffee shop, very conveniently situated right next to the parade ring in the paddock area.
The Outside Coffee Shop – Haydock Racecourse
This was serving your standard tea and coffee, such as a flat white, for £4.00. A latte or cappuccino for £4.20. A hot chocolate was £4.50. An Americano for £3.50 and a cup of tea for a more-than-reasonable £2.75.
Overall, plenty of food and drink outlets on the course, but disappointingly, no fish & chip shop/food truck. In our opinion, the attendance on the day was more than sufficient to warrant more catering options. Rating: 9/10.
Guinness Standard: The excellent news is that Haydock Park/Jockey Club have ditched their policy of serving beer in biodegradable paper cups in all of its bar areas on all of its courses. We can only hazard a guess because of the very negative feedback they received from racegoers like us. It is now served in plastic pint points that are thick enough to be picked up without spilling the contents all over the place. We did partake in a pint of the black stuff, and it was more than a decent pint. However, priced at £7.80, it is right up there with the prices charged at Cheltenham Racecourse during the Festival, which, to be fair, is very expensive. That was a +8% increase on the price we paid last year. However, if that is the price to get rid of the biodegradable paper cups, then in our opinion, it's worth it. Rating: 7/10.
Friendliness of Course Staff: The staff at Haydock are excellent. Everyone we met, from the main gate to the bar staff, was friendly, chatty and helpful. It is a very friendly racecourse with a relaxed, yet organised vibe. We also spotted a number of litter pickers on duty during the day, and we have to say the racecourse was spotless. Rating: 9/10.
Pros & Cons: Overall, Haydock is a genuinely top-class racecourse. The entrance area/road is stunning: it is well laid out, organised, very picturesque, and delivers a fantastic day's racing. The pros are many: free parking, good catering, excellent viewing and an exquisite parade ring area. The only negatives on the day for us were the £27.50 gate price and the bar's overall drink prices.
As always, we ask ourselves the big question: would we return? The answer to that is straightforward indeed. Yes, we would, without a moment’s hesitation. You will have to go a very long way to find better or more enjoyable days of racing. If you haven’t been to Haydock Racecourse and are thinking about it, then do it. You won’t regret it; of that we can be pretty much sure. Rating: 9/10
Wi-Fi / Internet Connection: Internet access via the Jockey Club App is quick and simple. No issues on the day of our visit.
Overall Racecourse Advisor Rating: 8.9/10
The full day's racing results can be found here: https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/meeting/2025-12-03/haydock/115960
Facilities & location layout of Haydock Racecourse: (image acknowledged & credited to The Jockey Club Ltd.)
Aerial View of Haydock Racecourse (Image: courtesy of & acknowledged to Google Earth)
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