Horse Racing Calendar 2026-27: Every Big UK, Irish and World Race Date
By the MyHorseBets team · Updated · 9 min read
This horse racing calendar lists every big race date from October 2026 to the end of 2027: the British and Irish highlights over jumps and on the Flat, plus the international races British punters follow, such as the Melbourne Cup, the Breeders’ Cup, the Kentucky Derby and the Arc. Each date is marked by how sure we are of it, because a calendar is only useful if you know which dates are fixed.
- Confirmed: published by the racecourse or organiser, checked on the date in our update log.
- Listed: published by ticket or hospitality sellers but not yet on the racecourse’s own pages we checked.
- Expected: not yet published; worked out from the race’s usual rule, such as “the first Saturday in May”.
For daily fixtures, every meeting and every race, the BHA’s fixture list and the racecourses’ own sites are the place to look. This page is the big-race horse racing calendar 2027 and the rest of 2026, with links to our full guide for each meeting.
How the Racing Year Works
British racing runs all year, but the big days follow two seasons.
The Jumps Season
National Hunt racing peaks from late October to April: the Cheltenham November Meeting, the Betfair Chase and Tingle Creek in the run-up to Christmas, the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, then the Cheltenham Festival in March and the Grand National in April. Our guide to National Hunt racing explains hurdles, chases and how the season is built.
The Flat Season
The Flat turf season builds from the Guineas in May through the Derby, Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood, York’s Ebor meeting and the St Leger, to British Champions Day in October. All-weather racing fills the winter in between.
The International Races
A handful of overseas races draw British and Irish horses and British betting money: the Arc in Paris in October, the Breeders’ Cup in the United States around the end of October, the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday in November, and the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.
Big Race Dates: October to December 2026
| Date | Meeting or race | Course | Code | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 17 Oct 2026 | British Champions Day | Ascot | Flat | Confirmed (Ascot) |
| Fri 30 and Sat 31 Oct 2026 | Breeders’ Cup | Keeneland, USA | Flat | Confirmed (Breeders’ Cup) |
| Tue 3 Nov 2026 | Melbourne Cup | Flemington, Australia | Flat | Confirmed (Business Victoria) |
| Fri 13 to Sun 15 Nov 2026 | The November Meeting (Paddy Power Gold Cup on Sat 14 Nov) | Cheltenham | Jumps | Confirmed (Jockey Club) |
| Sat 21 Nov 2026 | Betfair Chase | Haydock Park | Jumps | Confirmed (Jockey Club) |
| Sat 28 Nov 2026 | Coral Gold Cup | Newbury | Jumps | Listed |
| Fri 4 and Sat 5 Dec 2026 | Tingle Creek Festival (Tingle Creek Chase on Sat 5 Dec) | Sandown Park | Jumps | Confirmed (Jockey Club) |
| Sat 26 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day racing: King George VI Chase | Kempton Park | Jumps | Confirmed |
| Sat 26 Dec 2026 | Leopardstown Christmas Festival begins | Leopardstown | Jumps | Confirmed |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Welsh Grand National | Chepstow | Jumps | Confirmed |
Notes on the Autumn Dates
The Cheltenham November Meeting dates and the Betfair Chase date come from the Jockey Club’s pages for Cheltenham and Haydock; the Tingle Creek Festival dates from Sandown’s. The Coral Gold Cup, run as the Ladbrokes Trophy until 2021, is listed for 28 November by Visit Newbury and Newbury’s hospitality partner, but we hadn’t seen it on Newbury’s own site. The Boxing Day and Welsh National dates were checked for our Boxing Day racing guide: the Welsh National moves to Monday 28 December in 2026.
Watching the International Races
The two overseas November dates fall at awkward hours in the UK: the Breeders’ Cup runs into the late evening, with Kentucky four hours behind the UK that weekend, and the Melbourne Cup goes off at 4am GMT. Both guides have the details.
Big Race Dates: January to June 2027
| Date | Meeting or race | Course | Code | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 16 to Fri 19 Mar 2027 | Cheltenham Festival | Cheltenham | Jumps | Confirmed (Jockey Club) |
| Sat 27 Mar 2027 | Dubai World Cup night | Meydan, Dubai | Flat | Expected (last Saturday in March) |
| Sat 27 to Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Fairyhouse Easter Festival, Irish Grand National on Mon 29 Mar | Fairyhouse | Jumps | Festival confirmed; race day expected |
| Thu 8 to Sat 10 Apr 2027 | Grand National Festival (National on Sat 10 Apr) | Aintree | Jumps | Confirmed (Jockey Club) |
| Sat 17 Apr 2027 | Scottish Grand National | Ayr | Jumps | Listed (Ayr event page) |
| Fri 30 Apr to Sun 2 May 2027 | Guineas Festival: 2,000 Guineas Sat 1 May, 1,000 Guineas Sun 2 May | Newmarket | Flat | Confirmed (Jockey Club) |
| Sat 1 May 2027 | Kentucky Derby | Churchill Downs, USA | Flat | Confirmed (Kentucky Derby) |
| Fri 4 and Sat 5 Jun 2027 | Epsom Derby Festival: Oaks Fri 4 Jun, Derby Sat 5 Jun | Epsom Downs | Flat | Confirmed (Jockey Club) |
| Tue 15 to Sat 19 Jun 2027 | Royal Ascot | Ascot | Flat | Confirmed (Ascot) |
Spring Notes
The Cheltenham, Aintree, Epsom and Royal Ascot dates are the ones checked for our guides to each meeting. The Guineas dates are on the Jockey Club’s Newmarket page for 2,000 Guineas Day 2027. The Irish Grand National is always on Easter Monday; Fairyhouse has published its 2027 festival as 27 to 29 March, which puts the race on Monday 29 March, only twelve days before Aintree. The Scottish Grand National date comes from a 2027 event listing on Ayr Racecourse’s site, found in search; we’ll confirm it on Ayr’s pages nearer the time.
Cheltenham and Aintree Key Dates
For the build-up to the two biggest jumps meetings, our Cheltenham Festival guide lists all 28 races day by day and our Grand National guide has the weights date and the 72-hour declaration timetable. Use the each way calculator for the big handicaps and the Lucky 15 calculator for multiples across a festival day.
Big Race Dates: July to December 2027
| Date | Meeting or race | Course | Code | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 24 Jul 2027 | King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes | Ascot | Flat | Listed |
| Tue 27 to Sat 31 Jul 2027 | Glorious Goodwood | Goodwood | Flat | Confirmed (Goodwood) |
| Wed 18 to Sat 21 Aug 2027 | Ebor Festival | York | Flat | Listed |
| Thu 9 to Sun 12 Sep 2027 | St Leger Festival (St Leger Sun 12 Sep) | Doncaster | Flat | Confirmed (Doncaster), see note |
| Sun 3 Oct 2027 | Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe | ParisLongchamp | Flat | Expected (first Sunday in October) |
| A Saturday in mid-October 2027 | British Champions Day | Ascot | Flat | Expected |
| Late October 2027 | Breeders’ Cup | Belmont Park, USA | Flat | Venue announced; dates expected |
| Tue 2 Nov 2027 | Melbourne Cup | Flemington, Australia | Flat | Confirmed (Business Victoria) |
| Sun 26 Dec 2027 | King George VI Chase | Kempton Park | Jumps | Expected (Boxing Day) |
Summer and Autumn Notes
The King George at Ascot and the Ebor dates come from hospitality sellers; one Ebor listing says the 2027 dates follow the traditional slot but are not yet officially published, so treat both as listed until York and Ascot confirm. Doncaster’s St Leger page gives the festival as Thursday 9 to Sunday 12 September with St Leger Day on the 12th, but the same page also mentions a family day on 13 September, so check closer to the time. The Breeders’ Cup has named the new Belmont Park as the 2027 host; we’ll add the dates when they are confirmed.
Why Some Dates Move
Several big races are tied to the calendar rather than a fixed date: Easter for the Irish Grand National, the first Saturday in May for the Kentucky Derby, the first Sunday in October for the Arc and the first Tuesday in November for the Melbourne Cup. Others follow tradition, like Boxing Day for the King George VI Chase. Weather can also force changes: our guide to whether horse racing is cancelled in the rain explains inspections and abandonments.
How We Keep This Calendar Up to Date
We check each date against the racecourse or organiser’s own pages, mark anything we haven’t seen there as listed or expected, and update this page when a date is confirmed or changes. If you’re planning a trip, our UK racecourses guide covers every course in Britain.
A full racing calendar means a bet is always available. Set a budget for the month, not the day, and only bet what you can afford to lose. Gambling responsibly.
Update Log
- 9 October 2026: Page published. Dates checked on 9 October 2026: Ascot (Champions Day), Breeders’ Cup, Business Victoria (Melbourne Cup 2026 and 2027), Jockey Club pages for Cheltenham, Haydock, Sandown, Newmarket, Epsom, Aintree and Cheltenham Festival, Fairyhouse (Easter Festival 2027), Kentucky Derby tickets, Doncaster (St Leger). Listed only: Coral Gold Cup, Scottish Grand National, King George at Ascot, Ebor. Expected: Irish Grand National race day, Arc, Champions Day 2027, Breeders’ Cup 2027 dates, King George VI Chase 2027.
- Next update: as each listed or expected date is confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday 17 October 2026 is the next big Flat meeting. Over jumps, the season builds through the Cheltenham November Meeting from 13 to 15 November and the Betfair Chase at Haydock on 21 November, to the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.
Saturday 10 April 2027 at Aintree, the last day of the three-day Grand National Festival from Thursday 8 April. The Irish Grand National is twelve days earlier, on Easter Monday 29 March, and the Scottish Grand National is listed for Saturday 17 April at Ayr.
The 2,000 Guineas and 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Derby and the Oaks at Epsom, and the St Leger at Doncaster. In 2027 they run on 1 May, 2 May, 5 June, 4 June and, according to Doncaster, 12 September.
Jumps racing runs all year in Britain, but the big season starts in late October and November, with Cheltenham's November Meeting, the Betfair Chase and the Coral Gold Cup, and builds to Cheltenham in March and Aintree in April.