Salisbury Racecourse
Date of Review: 24th July 2024
RCA Reviewers: Mr Shrewdy, The Doctor & The Wanderer
Address: Salisbury, Netherhampton, Wiltshire SP2 8PN
Website: https://www.salisburyracecourse.co.uk/
Facebook:https: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salisbury-Racecourse/128969513806191/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/salisburyraces
Phone: 01722 326461
Hotel Accommodation: https://www.booking.com/landmark/gb/salisbury-racecourse.en-gb.html
Track Layout: (acknowledged & credited to At The Races)
Course Information: Salisbury Racecourse holds 15 flat race fixtures between June and October. It is a right-handed course with one of the most unique layouts in Britain, which can only be described as the shape of an old fashioned darning needle. It has a loop, a stiff, up-hill run in of seven furlongs, with a right-handed elbow after three furlongs.
Races longer than a mile start on the home straight, and the horses run downhill in the opposite direction of the winning post. They then have to navigate a tight, almost semi-circular, uphill, right-hand bend and come back on themselves, going downhill into the home straight as the horses hit the five-furlong mark. It is known as being one of the most testing tracks in the country.
In races of a full mile on the straight, the ground rises for the first two furlongs, then levels off for a furlong, and then it’s a punishing climb all the way home to the winning post. Due to the characteristics of the track, many of the top trainers see the course as an ideal place to bring their top 2-year-olds.
Salisbury is situated in Wiltshire, in a beautiful part of the largest area of downland in Britain. It is approximately 30 miles from Bournemouth and Southampton and only eight miles from the historical and famous tourist attraction of Stonehenge. It is also the home of the 800-year-old Salisbury Cathedral, which can be seen from the racecourse.
The history of Salisbury Racecourse is a rich tapestry. It is the UK’s second oldest racecourse, dating back to 1584 (Quiz Question: Which is the UK’s oldest racecourse, and what year was it established? Answers are at the very bottom of the review). In 1588, Queen Elizabeth I popped in to watch the racing while on the way to visit Sir Francis Drake, who was getting ready to take on the Spanish Armada.
The racecourse’s “City Bowl” race, which dates back to 1664, is acknowledged to be Britain’s oldest named race. Horse racing legends such as Gimcrack and Eclipse won this race in 1768 and 1769, respectively. In later years, horses such as Brigadier Gerard, who was rated as the best ever of the 20th century, along with Mill Reef and Sir Percy, won here as juveniles. Another equine great, Sun Chariot, won at the course in 1941 and then went on to win the fillies’ Triple Crown, which consisted of the 1000 Guineas, Oaks, and St. Leger the following season. The horse Colonist II, owned by Winston Churchill, won at Salisbury in 1949 and went on to win at Royal Ascot in the same year.
The late, great Lester Piggott had his first ever ride under rules in a race in 1948, partnering a horse called The Chase at Salisbury, when he was an apprentice aged 12 and weighing 5 stone. He went on to win his first ever race on the same horse at Haydock Park a few months later.
Salisbury Racecourse was where one of the world’s greatest ever riders, Steve “The Kentucky Kid” Cauthen, made his first ever appearance on a British racecourse, riding Marquee Universal, which won.
More royal history was made recently at Salisbury, when the horse Educator was the first horse to carry the royal silks of King Charles III, finishing in 2nd place in a handicap race ridden by Tom Maquand and trained by William Haggas
The Racecourse Advisor Guide to Salisbury Racecourse:
Course Access:
By Road: From the North: Take the M6 to Birmingham, then the M42, and then the M40. Exit at junction 9 onto the A34, in Oxfordshire. From the A34, take the A420, A34, A343 and then the A30/A303 towards Andover / Salisbury. At Longbarrow Roundabout, take the first exit onto the A360. After two miles at the roundabout, take the first exit onto the A36 Salisbury Road. Turn right at the Park Wall Junction on to the A3094 to Netherhampton. Turn right at Netherhampton Corner, then a sharp left turn onto Old Shaftesbury Drove. The racecourse will be on the left-hand side. If coming down the M1, then exit onto the M40 and follow the route above.
From London, take the M3 towards Southampton. Exit at junction 8 onto the A303 Andover/Salisbury Road towards Stonehenge. At the roundabout after Stonehenge, take the first exit onto the A360 towards Salisbury/Wilton/Woodford. After 5 miles, turn right (signed Wilton/Park & Ride). At the Wilton roundabout/A30, take the first exit onto the A36/Salisbury Road. From here, the racecourse is well signed. From the West: Take the A303 and exit at Deptford, and the A36 southbound towards Wilton/Salisbury. From here, the racecourse is well signed.
By Rail: The racecourse is approximately four miles away from Salisbury Station. It is well connected by a number of major routes, and can easily be reached from the following: London Waterloo 1hr 30mins. Basingstoke 0hr 40mins. Southampton 0hr 35mins. Portsmouth, 1hr 30mins. Bristol (Temple Meads) 1hr 10mins, and Yeovil 0hr 50mins. A taxi from Salisbury Station will take around 15mins and cost circa £15.00. There is also a courtesy shuttle bus from the station to the racecourse on racedays.
By Air: The nearest airports to Salisbury Racecourse are Bournemouth (BOH), which is 20 miles away. Bristol (BRS) 46 miles. London Heathrow (LHR) 65 miles. London Gatwick (LGW) 72 miles and London Luton (LTN) 84 miles away. The private Old Sarum Airfield is also 15-20 minutes away by car.
Helicopter landings are permitted, but with prior permission. Call the racecourse on 01722 326461 for further details. Rating: 8/10.
Parking: Free car parking is available outside the racecourse, with a short walk to the main entrance. Immediately next door to the racecourse is the excellent Coombe Caravan & Camping Park. And when we say next door, we mean next door. The entrance to the park is in line with the 1 furlong post on the track on the home straight. The website can be found here: https://www.coombecaravanpark.co.uk/ Rating: 10/10.
Pricing: Our visit was for “The Highclere Castle Gin Race Evening,” which was an evening meeting with a six race card consisting of two Class 4 races, one Class 5, and three Class 6 races.
There were two general admission pricing options, and we opted for the Premier ticket, which gave admission to both the Bibury & Grandstand Enclosures (the two separate enclosures were combined for this meeting) at £27.00 each on the day. If booked online in advance, tickets were priced at £24.00 per person. This gave access to all areas of the racecourse, including the winning post and the parade ring. For a six race card of low grade races, we felt that this was a tad expensive relative to other racecourses we have visited. Disappointingly, there are no concessions for OAPs.
To be fair, there is a lower cost option, with entry into the Sarum Enclosure for £11.00; however, this area is located on the other side of the track with a very limited number of bars and catering options. It also does not allow entry into the parade ring. This enclosure also allows racegoers to bring their own picnics. However, alcohol is not allowed to be brought in. Also, parasols, gazebos, or tents are not permitted.
There were a couple of upgrade options available, including a table in the 1584 restaurant, which is located in the Bibury Enclosure. The cost of this is £99.00 or £105.00, depending on the meeting. For this, you get admission to the racecourse, a reserved table for the day, a three-course menu, and a choice of meals. However, please be aware that there are no views of the racecourse from this location. You are required to take up a seat or vantage point outside to watch the races.
The 1584 & Conservatory Restaurants – Salisbury Racecourse
Next to this, in a separate area, is the Conservatory restaurant, which serves the same menu as the 1584 restaurant. This area, once again, has no view of the course, but it does have a view of the parade ring. The cost per head here is either £109 or £115 each, depending on the meeting.
Salisbury Racecourse also has a selection of private boxes situated in the Festival Stand, which is located between the Tattersalls and Bibury enclosures (a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 50 people).
Private Boxes – Salisbury Racecourse
Each box has its own private viewing balcony, private bar, TV screens, and Tote betting facilities. For £149 + VAT (£178.80) per person, you get a hospitality admission badge, a racecard, and a buffet lunch. You can, if you wish, add an optional drinks package for £85.00 + VAT (£102.00), which gets you unlimited spirits, wines, beers, and soft drinks. Or for £75.00 + VAT (£90) per person, which includes unlimited house wines, beers, and soft drinks. Overall, there is a good selection of pricing options to suit all tastes and pockets.
Racecard: Once again, like at the majority (but not all) of the racecourses we visit, we have to report our disappointment with the racecard. At a cost of £3.50, it works out at just over 10p per page, as it only had 31 pages in total. So to read the welcome note from the directors along with the obligatory page listing the officials, from the Betting Ring Manager through to the course Nurse and Clerk of the Scales, didn’t feel like good value for 20p!
Once again, a basic requirement of a course layout map was missing. There were no interesting facts or trivia about the racecourse, which is steeped in history and would have been a good read. Just the usual Timeform card extracts. The only section that piqued our interest was the page on Todays Tips. This section actually delivered 4 winners out of the 6 races; all were favourites, and two were odds on, with the biggest priced winner at 9/4. But still, a short-priced winner is better than many long-priced losers! Our advice is to keep your £3.50 in your pocket. Rating: 6/10.
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 what is available regarding the culinary options and prices at the track on racedays.
The Tattersalls bar is a large bar that runs along the full length of the Tattersalls enclosure. On one side is the bar area, and on the other is the seating area. At the end of the bar is a catering outlet that sells a good selection of hot foods. Next to this is a coffee shop.
On the menu was a roast pork roll with stuffing, crackling, and apple sauce for £9.00. Or the same on a baguette for £10.00. The prices were the same for the roast beef version. They also had a steak, bacon & cheese, cheese & onion, or vegetarian pasty, all for £6.00 each, and pizzas such as Margarita, pepperoni, or Hawaiian for £12.00 each. The coffee shop offers up a cappuccino, latte, mocha, americano, flat white, or hot chocolate, all for £4.00 per cup.
The Tattersalls Bar – Salisbury Racecourse
We did indulge in a roast pork roll each, which we are pleased to say was delicious! One of our reviewers later sampled a steak pasty, which he commented was more vegetable than steak and was noticeably short on seasoning. Overall, decent grub at decent prices.
The bar area was serving pints of Prahva lager and Doombar ale for £6.50 a pint. Madri lager and Guinness for £7.00 and Thatcher’s Gold cider for £7.00 a pint. Bottles of Atlantic, Park Bottom, and Cow Down ale, along with Crabbies Ginger beer, for £6.00 a pop (all 500ml). A 330ml bottle of Madri was £5.50, and bottles of Staropramen, Rekorderlig, and Thatcher’s Haze cider were £6.00. House wines of red, white, and rose were £7.00 for a small glass (125ml), £8.00 for a medium glass (175ml) and £9.00 for a large glass (250ml). It was good to see that they were also serving a good selection of non-alcoholic beers also. Again, a good selection of drinks at fair prices.
The Paddock Bar (above) & Lester Piggot Bar (below) – Salisbury Racecourse
In the Lester Piggot bar, a bottle of Prosecco was £33.50, or £11.50, for a small bottle. The Prosecco Brut Rose was £35.50. If you fancy the real fizzy stuff, then a bottle of Joseph Perrier champagne was £68.50, and a rose version of the same would burn a hole in your pocket to the tune of £95.50. If that’s not a problem, then why not go for the top-shelf Veuve Clicquot at £99.50 a bottle.
There is also the Paddock bar, which is ideally suited right next to the parade ring, and also the Persian Punch bar at the bottom of the Festival Stand. There is no shortage of bars at Salisbury Racecourse. That much is for sure.
There were also a number of street vendors in attendance. Next to the Tattersalls stand was the Funky Burger Shack, which was knocking out a variety of both traditional and exotic burgers, chips, curly fries, etc.
Street Food Vendors – Salisbury Racecourse
Next to this was a London double-decker bus, which in fact was a bar selling beers, wines, and spirits. Just behind this was the traditional ice cream van. There was also an outlet behind the back of the Bibury stand, selling coffee and donuts
On the other side of the racecourse, in the sparsely populated Sarum stand, there was a large bar area with Tote betting facilities and a burger van.
Catering Facilities in the Sarum Stand – Salisbury Racecourse
Overall there is a good variety of decent quality food and drink options on course to suit all tastes and pockets. Rating: 8/10.
Guinness Standard: Draft Guinness was available in all of the bars on course, with the exception of the Lester Piggott bar in the Wiltshire stand, where it is bottled beers only. It was £7.00 a pint, so not the cheapest we have had. However, it was more than decent, nice and cold, with a creamy head. Rating: 7/10.
Viewing: The overall viewing experience at Salisbury Racecourse is good. There are five main viewing areas. The Tattersalls stand, the Bibury stand, the Festival stand (private boxes only), the Wiltshire stand, and across the course, is the Sarum stand. Regardless of where you are situated, you can see the horses virtually the whole time.
The Tattersalls stand is a large, two-tiered affair. The bottom tier is around twenty concrete terraces with plenty of crash barriers and no seating. The view here can be slightly restricted due to the large metal stanchions. The top tier is around sixteen concrete terrace steps, and again, there is no seating. However, the view from here is excellent. You can see the whole of the racecourse and the surrounding countryside. We were not allowed access into the private boxes, but due their position, we envisage that the view will be almost identical to the view in the top tiers of both the Tattersalls and Bibury stands. There is a large mobile viewing screen situated just past the half-furlong mark
The main viewing areas: The Tattersalls & Festival Stands (above) & the Bibury & Wiltshire Stands (below)
The Bibury stand is the premium stand for general admission. It is another large stand that consists of two tiers and is in line with the winning post. The lower tier is once again, concrete terracing with a number of wooden bench-type seats at the back. The second tier is similar but has around eleven rows of green plastic seating at the back. The view from here really is excellent. At the front of this stand, on the grass, are 15 wooden benches situated immediately in front of the winning post.
The Wiltshire stand is a definite must-see. It is a modern, three-tiered stand that looks like the viewing area of a cruise ship. It is the stand furthest away, and the viewing of the horses is effectively head-on, as they come down the straight. It is superb! The Lester Piggott bar is situated on the top floor, and it has the added advantage of also having great views of the parade ring from the left-hand side of the stand. The owners and trainers bar and restaurant are situated on the ground floor of this stand.
In our opinion, regardless of where you are standing or sitting, the view at this racecourse is very good. Rating: 9/10.
Parade Ring / Winners Enclosure: The winners enclosure, parade ring, and pre-parade ring are situated at the very left of the course. The parade ring is large in size, with the centre being turfed. Around part of the perimeter, on the right hand side, is a row of stools. There are no raised or terraced standing areas. Access to around 90% of the ring is available, which is good.
The pre-parade ring is situated directly at the end of the parade ring, and on the day of our visit, no public access was allowed. As stated previously, the Paddock bar is immediately opposite the parade ring, on the left hand side. We haven’t seen many parade rings where a bar is adjacent, so you can have a drink while watching the horses, and we think it is a great idea. An elevated view of the parade ring can be had from the side of the Wiltshire stand. Rating: 10/10.
The Parade Ring, Pre-Parade Ring (top) & Winners Enclosure (bottom) – Salisbury Racecourse Bookmakers / Betting Facilities:
There are plenty of bookmakers plying their trade at Salisbury. Around 10 on the forecourt / apron of the Tattersalls stand, and roughly the same number in front of the Bibury stand. The Bibury stand also accommodates a large William Hill concession. These, together with any number of Tote facilities that are all over the course, mean there is no problem whatsoever, getting a bet on and picking up your winnings. Rating: 10/10.
Bookmakers at the Tattersalls Enclosure (left) & the Bibury Enclosure (right) – Salisbury Racecourse
Friendliness of Course Staff: Plenty of staff on duty, all very welcoming and polite. A special mention goes to Keith in security, who kicked us out after the last race in an extremely polite and professional manner. Rating: 9/10.
Pros & Cons: Salisbury Racecourse has a lot going for itself. Road access to the course is good. There is plenty of free parking available, and it is a very short walk to the main entrance. In our opinion, the pricing was on the expensive side, relative to other courses we have visited, with a similar level and class of races. The racecard on the day was very disappointing.
The catering was very good with numerous options to suit all tastes and pockets. Plenty of on-course bookmakers, numerous Tote outlets, and a large William Hill concession on course to boot. The staff are welcoming, helpful, and friendly.
The overall viewing experience is excellent, and we do recommend you pay a visit to the third tier of the Wiltshire stand if you do visit the racecourse. The parade ring and winners enclosure is also worth a visit.
The question, as always, is: would we return to Salisbury Racecourse? The answer is an emphatic yes. We spent a very enjoyable evening at the course and would definitely recommend it. Rating: 7/10
VIP Watch: No VIPs were spotted on the day of our visit.
Wi-Fi / Internet Connection: Free Wi-Fi is available via the SKY WiFi app. As always, you need to give them your inside leg measurement to get hooked up, but once you do, there is absolutely no problem.
Overall Racecourse Advisor Rating: 8.4/10 The full day's racing results can be found here: https://www.sportinglife.com/racing/meeting/2024-07-24/salisbury/106015
Facilities & location layout of Salisbury Racecourse: (Image: acknowledged & credited to The Bibury Club Ltd.)
Aerial View of Salisbury Racecourse: (image acknowledged & credited to Google Earth)
Quiz Question Answers: Chester. 1539.
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