Exeter
Date of Review: 7th March 2025
RCA Reviewers: Dave & Ray
Address: Kennford, Exeter EX6 7XS.
Website: https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/exeter/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExeterRacecourse/
Email: exeter@thejockeyclub.co.uk
Phone: 01392 832599.
Accommodation: https://uk.hotels.com/de552990/hotels-exeter-united-kingdom/
Track Layout: (Image acknowledged & credited to Timeform & At The Races)
Course Information: Exeter is an oval-shaped, right-handed National Hunt (jumps) racecourse that is two miles long in circumference, making it one of the longest racecourses in the country. The hurdle course, which is on the inside, has seven flights, and the steeplechase course, on the outside, has eleven fences, one of which is a water jump. Four of them are situated on the long, uphill home straight, which is around four furlongs in length. It has long straights and two tight bends. It is a hilly racecourse with many undulations, and this puts the emphasis on stamina. Particularly in the winter months, when the conditions can be very tough.
The Racecourse Advisor Guide to Exeter Racecourse: Exeter Racecourse is located on the top of the Haldon Hills, around nine miles south of Exeter city centre in the Devon countryside. It has the distinction of being the highest racecourse in the country at 260 metres above sea level.
Location Map – Exeter Racecourse
Horse racing in Exeter dates back to 1738, and it is claimed to be one of the oldest racecourses in the country. Until 1900, it was a flat racing venue with the occasional hurdle race. In 1898, the Devon and Exeter steeplechases and the Haldon Race Club were formed. A grandstand was built in 1911 and only replaced in 1992. In 2009, a multi-million-pound extension to the Haldon Premier Stand was completed and opened.
Exeter is famous for a number of notable firsts. The famous jockey A.P. McCoy (now Sir A.P. McCoy) rode his first-ever winner in Britain at Exeter when he steered a horse called Chickabiddy to victory in 1994. Legendary racehorses Best Mate, Denman, and Desert Orchid all made their winning debuts over fences here. Also, in 2011, the biggest-ever winning dividend in the history of the Tote Jackpot was declared at Exeter for the sum of £1.45 million for a £2 stake. Steve Whiteley picked all six winners at 2/1, 12/1, 16/1, 16/1, 5/1, and 12/1. The last winner was a 7-year-old mare called Lupita, who was on a losing run of twenty-six and was ridden by 7lb claimer Miss Jessica Lodge, who'd never ridden a winner in public before. Exeter holds 17 National Hunt fixtures each year from September to April.
Course Access:
By Road: Exeter Racecourse is located five miles from the end of the M5 (southbound), so it is easy to find. It is just off the A38, Exeter to Plymouth Road. After passing the junction with the A38, keep in the inside lane as you go up a steep hill. Close to the top, there is a sharp left-hand turn that is signposted “Exeter Racecourse.” Turn right at the mini-roundabout, and the racecourse entrance is on the left. For your Sat-Nav, use the postcode EX6 7XS.
By Rail: The nearest train station is Exeter St. Davids, which is around nine miles from the racecourse. There is a direct train link between London Paddington and Exeter St. Davids with a journey time of approximately 2 hours. It will take about 25 minutes in a taxi to reach the course. On racedays there is a free bus service from the railway station and the bus station to the racecourse. There is also a local bus (bus 39) that runs throughout the day to and from the racecourse from the city centre.
By Air: The nearest airport to Exeter Racecourse is Exeter (EXT), which is 5 miles away. Bristol (BRS) is 58 miles. Bournemouth (BOH), 111 miles. Birmingham (BHX), which is 171 miles away, and London Heathrow (LHR), which is 187 miles away. Helicopters can land on the racecourse with prior permission. Rating: 7/10.
Parking: There is plenty of free parking in the centre of the racecourse. The ticket office and main entrance are a few hundred metres away. Rating: 9/10.
Pricing: The day of our visit was the Friday afternoon “Construction Raceday” meeting. It was a a seven-race card that consisted of one Class-3 race, two Class-4 races, and four Class-5 races, so low-grade racing. The entry price on the day was £22.00. If booked online in advance; general admission tickets to the Grandstand Enclosure, which gives access to all ground floor areas of the racecourse, were available for £19.80 each. For groups of six people or more, they were £18.70, and for groups of fifteen people or more, tickets could be had for £17.60. Children aged seventeen and under, if accompanied by an adult, were free. There was also a “Pie & Pint Package” for £30.00. As this is a Jockey Club-owned racecourse, there were no concessions for OAPs or students.
There was an upgrade option to the “Premier Restaurant Experience” at a cost of £130.00 each. This got you a guaranteed table in the Desert Orchid Restaurant, which has views of the racecourse and is situated on the winning post. An admission ticket, a three-course meal, and tea and coffee. In our opinion, the pricing is on the high side for what is undeniably low-grade racing at a provincial track, and £130.00 for the hospitality option is not the cheapest. Rating: 8/10.
Racecard: The racecard at Exeter confirms our point about the general apathy of the vast majority of racecourses in providing a worthwhile document that is both relevant and interesting. The welcome from the General Manager says, “Welcome to Exeter,” and that's it! There was no course map showing the racecourse and facilities layout, which is a basic prerequisite (or at least should be). Even more surprisingly, there was no mention whatsoever of their own Jockey Club interactive App. This can be downloaded for free and is actually pretty good and provides you with all of the information you would need for the day. We feel that racegoers (paying customers) should be treated with a little bit more respect, as they are parting with £3.50 for a basic list of runners and riders and advertisements, and in all honesty, it is nothing short of a disgrace.
Viewing: Unfortunately, we have to report that the overall viewing experience at Exeter Racecourse is not good-not good at all. In fact, it's up there with the worst we have seen at any racecourse we have visited. We watched the first race from the Haldon Stand, which is situated in line with the winning post.
The Haldon Stand – Exeter Racecourse
It is the bigger of the two stands, with around sixteen concrete terraced steps. It has no seating whatsoever in it. It also has a number of hospitality boxes on top of it, which means the roof is exceptionally high. So high, in fact, it might as well not have one. It was raining on the day of our visit, and regardless of where you stood in the stand, you got wet. After the horses take the first bend after the winning post, they go downhill and past some trees. At this point, you completely lose sight of the horses for almost the next two minutes (1 minute and 56 seconds, to be exact – yes, we timed it), which is a very long time. It took the horses 4 minutes and 6 seconds to complete one full circuit (from the winning post back to the winning post), which means the horses are out of sight for 39% of the total time per circuit. A large mobile TV screen is positioned on the winning post, which is most certainly needed. Without it, you would have no clue where the horses are and how they are traveling during this time, and if you wanted to watch the horses on a TV screen, you might as well stay at home.
The other stand is the Brockman Stand, which is situated further up the home straight. It is relatively small, with only six concrete terraced steps
The Brockman Stand – Exeter Racecourse
At the very front, it has around two dozen plastic pull-down seats. However, if anyone is standing on the concourse in front of you, you wouldn’t see a thing. Viewing from the stand is also hampered by four large metal stanchions. It does, however, have cover from the elements, which is a blessing. For these reasons, we feel the overall viewing experience at Exeter Racecourse is very poor. Rating: 3/10.
Parade Ring / Winners Enclosure: This is located immediately in front of the Brockman Stand.
The Parade Ring & Winners Enclosure–Exeter Racecourse
The parade ring is large and oval in shape, with a number of wooden stools around the front. Due to its position against the running rail of the racecourse, access is restricted to around 60% of its perimeter. The winner's enclosure is inside at the front, and there is a small wooden presentation area off to the left-hand side. There are no raised viewing platforms. Our reviewers said the area just felt very stark and bland. It has no character or ambience about it at all. Apart from a couple of planter boxes, one that commemorates the legendary racehorse Best Mate, there is a distinct lack of decoration, such as shrubbery, plants, flowers, and hanging baskets to improve and warm its appearance. It is, unfortunately, in our opinion, very spartan. It feels like you are in the middle of an industrial estate rather than a racecourse
The Parade Ring Presentation Area (left) & The Pre Parade Ring (right) – Exeter Racecourse
There is a small pre-parade ring with a saddling enclosure at the back of it which is situated on the right-hand side close by. However, once again, it looks and feels underwhelming. Rating: 5/10.
Bookmakers / Betting Facilities: The main on-course bookmakers are located in a large concourse area directly in front of the 1769 Bar area.
The Main Bookmakers Ring – Exeter Racecourse
On the day of our visit, there were eight bookies in this area and three more in front of the Brockman Stand. There is also a large William Hill concession and any numerous Tote outlets on the course. Rating: 10/10.
Catering: Here at Racecourse Advisor, we enjoy doing “racecourse reviews” rather than restaurant reviews. We do not pretend to be food critics. We simply aim to give you an overall idea of what culinary options and prices are available at the racecourse on race days. There is a more than decent selection of catering outlets and bars on the racecourse, including the Denman Room, the Best Mate Bar, AP’s Bar, the 1769 Bar, and the Martin Pipe Bar. We visited each of them in order. The Denman Room is at the back of the Haldon Stand.
Denman Room – Exeter Racecourse
It is a large room carpeted with a good number of round tables and padded chairs and a good number of wall-mounted TV screens. There is a food counter serving a selection of favourites such as beer-battered haddock, pork sausages, hunter’s chicken, or pies, all served with chips, mash, peas, and gravy for £14.00 a go.
The Best Mate Bar, which was the next one along, is almost identical in appearance. The bar was closed on the day of our visit, but the room was open for people to bring in their food and drinks. The busiest and by far the most popular bar was AP’s Bar. Again, large in size, carpeted and a small number of tables and chairs.
AP’s Bar – Exeter Racecourse
There was a guitarist/singer who was attempting to entertain the punters, who, no matter how hard he tried, weren’t paying him much attention, but to his credit, he soldiered on. Here is a decent-sized food outlet that serves some of the old favourites, such as steak & ale, buttered chicken or sweet potato, onion & spinach pies, or traditional/vegan sausage rolls for £5.50 each. There were more exotic options of Korean BBQ pulled jackfruit, Hoisin chicken thighs or Korean BBQ pulled beef served with dirty fries for £9.00 each. They also had a selection of sourdough baguettes for £5.50 each.
All of the bars that were open were serving pints of Madri lager, Carling Black Label, and Sharps Atlantic Pale Ale, along with Guinness for £6.95, with a pint of Aspalls cider being £6.40. House wines of red, white and rose were £6.95 per glass. All spirits were £5.75 a shot. The 1769 Bar is well located between the Brockman and Haldon Stands; it is a smart little bar area that
1769 Bar – Exeter Racecourse
opens up onto an outside patio area just next to the main concourse where the on-course bookmakers and parade ring are. On a nice day, this would be a great area to watch the racing from. Finally, the Martin Pipe Bar, which is situated at the back of Brockman Stand, is very similar in décor to the Denman Bar; it does, however, have a large William Hill betting concession inside of it.
On the day of our visit, immediately outside the Martin Pipe Bar, there was a burger van selling beef and venison burgers with all the trimmings for 9.00 each. Overall, a good selection of food and bars on the racecourse. Rating: 8/10.
Guinness Standard: Draft Guinness was available at all of the bars for a reasonable £6.95 per pint. We did sample it in AP’s Bar, but we were unimpressed. Unfortunately, it was “watery,” and the head, which should be smooth and creamy, was covered in bubbles. Rating: 7/10.
Friendliness of Course Staff: Plenty of course staff are available who are friendly, chatty, and helpful. Rating: 10/10.
Pros & Cons: Unfortunately, more cons than pros for us on the day of our visit. The pros were the catering, which was good. The staff, who were great, and the parking. However, the racecourse, in our opinion, lets itself down badly in the most important areas. Namely, the pricing was a tad too high for what was a low-grade/class day of racing.
The overall viewing experience, which, as explained above, is pretty woeful in both in terms of watching the horses in action and the lack of cover or shelter in the Haldon Stand. The parade ring and pre-parade ring are pretty much soulless, and they should/could be the focal point of the racecourse. They could, however, be easily improved with a little effort and thought.
As always with our reviews, we ask ourselves the question, "Would we return?" Very simply, no, we wouldn’t. Rating: 2/10.
Wi-Fi / Internet Connection: Internet was available via the Jockey Club App, and the connection was good.
Overall Racecourse Advisor Rating: 6.8/10.
The entire day's racing results can be found here: https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/meeting/2025-03-07/exeter/110475
Facilities & Location Layout of Exeter Racecourse (Image acknowledged & credited to the Jockey Club)
Aerial View of Exeter Racecourse (Image acknowledged & credited to Google Earth)
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