2blokesgoracing Racecourse Reviews

About Us

Photograph courtesy of Francesca Altoft Photography

What is 2 blokes Go Racing?

2BlokesGoRacing is an idea that evolved at the end of 2021 from...two blokes going horse racing. After some research, we found that there were no ‘all under one roof’ racecourse review websites that detailed the race day experience for racegoers like ourselves. That needed rectifying, so in January 2022, we started one. Unique to our blog-style reviews is that, should we revisit a racecourse, it will be a completely new review thus reflecting what we see, observe, hear, or even smell, on that particular visit.

Our goal? To give honest reviews on a day at the races at every racecourse up and down the country through the eyes of two 'ordinary Joe' racegoers, in easy-to-understand, no frills, no big fancy words, plain English - a racecourse review website from racegoers for racegoers. We are proud to be the original and only racecourse review website to have reviewed all sixty* UK racecourses.

The two blokes in question are Nige (Leg) Graham and Jules (Cheg) Rea.

* Newmarket has two separate racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course.

What you can expect

Honest, non-biased, sometimes brutal opinions, thoughts, and accounts on a race day experience, on a particular day. We rate areas of that experience with either a thumbs up 👍 'Yay' or thumbs down 👎 'Neigh' (see what we did there?). The number of thumbs up/down awarded, to a maximum of three, is an indicator of how good or bad it is.

Subsequent visits to the same racecourse might prove to be different depending on the size of the meeting, day of the week, time of year, weather, etc. This will be reflected in the updated review.

We may return to a racecourse for several reasons: because we particularly liked that racecourse, or because it rated poorly on our initial visit and we want to see if it has improved. Or it could be a dual-code racecourse (hosting both jumps and flat racing) and we want to attend both codes to give a more rounded review.

We make no apologies for placing a lot of emphasis on food and drink. It's a fact that most racegoers are going to want something to eat or drink during their visit to a racecourse (unless they've chosen a centre course enclosure or an enclosure where picnics are allowed...and there aren't that many of those), so any racecourse review worth its salt is going to at least sample some of it, and give their opinion. We're not trying to be John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

For accurate directions on how to get to the racecourse via road from your set-off point, please check the AA Route Planner at https://www.theaa.com or, for places to stay near the racecourse, visit Booking.com at https://www.booking.com or Airbnb at https://www.airbnb.co.uk.

Occasionally, we will conduct stable visits and provide you with feedback on those.

At the end of each year, we list those racecourses that rated best. Please select the Review & Awards tab. We also list our Top Ten favourite racecourses.

We have nothing to gain from any review that we do. They're funded by ourselves, and they're purely our opinions.

In 2024 we'll also highlight vegetarian/vegan food options available at the racecourses we visit - maybe even alcohol-free drink options too. A burger and a pint might be fine to some but an increasing number of racegoers would like a healthier, or non-meat alternative. All prices are correct at the time of the visit.

We have been banging the drum for Arena Racing Company to drop their £3 fulfilment fee on advance ticket purchases at all of their sixteen UK racecourses since we first started our website. We are now happy to advise that, from 2024, these fees will be scrapped. We'd like to think that we may have played some part in this but, whether we have or have not, we're delighted. Credit to ARC. It seems that they may well listen to their customers after all 😉

so Why Do we do it?

As racegoers ourselves for several years, we believe that fellow racegoers ought to know what to expect at a racecourse, whether it be good or bad. There is a surprising lack of information online, particularly from a racegoer's perspective. So our aim is to put that right.

By emailing all reviews to the racecourses we visit, it gives them an inkling of what their average visitor is experiencing on a day at their racecourse. We're doing their market research for them, if you like. They can then address those areas that need improving, resulting in a more enjoyable experience for racegoers like you and us. After all, happy customers are repeat customers. And those racecourses with positive feedback can give themselves a good pat on the back for a job well done 😉. It's a potential win-win situation.