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Racecourse concessions - an absolute mess. There is no consistency at all in what UK racecourses offer their visitors. There is even inconsistency from one racecourse to another of those owned by the Jockey Club and also those owned by ARC. Often concessions are not widely advertised even when there are some! So we contacted every UK racecourse and have listed the concessions that each of those racecourses offers. Most are concessions of £5 and are available on the door only, but not all, so check with the racecourse before you go. The concessions listed below are those offered in 2023* so they may have changed slightly. Again, check before you go. This list will be updated at the end of 2024.
*ARC Racecourses have now aligned their racecourses so that they offer the same concessions
As we can see in the table above, every UK racecourse offers a free ticket to visitors aged 17 and under. Some racecourses require that you obtain your free ticket in advance via their website, and other racecourses require that they be obtained on the day - appropriate I.D. may be required. Most (if not all) racecourses will only issue a free ticket when the child is accompanied by a full entrance fee-paying adult. Contact the racecourse for details.
A free ticket is also offered, by every UK racecourse, to carers / personal assistants of visitors with accessible needs. Again, this ticket might need to be obtained in advance, so contact the racecourse before you go. In all cases, appropriate I.D. will need to be shown on the day.
Senior Citizen Concessions: this is the area with the biggest variance with some racecourses offering an admission price concession to seniors aged 60-plus, others to those aged over 60 (that's 61 onwards), and other racecourses offering them to visitors aged over 65. There are also some racecourses which have chosen to offer no concessions at all. This is also the case with students. And in both cases, when concessions are offered, they're always in the Grandstand/Paddock Enclosure, never in the Premier Enclosure.
Blue Light Card: The Blue Light Card scheme provides those in the NHS, emergency services, social care sector, and the armed forces with free / discounted tickets in a wide range of categories including holidays, cars, days out (including horse racing), fashion, gifts, insurance, phones and much more. Visit their website for more details.
Racegoers Club: The Racegoers Club is the official fan club for British racing enthusiasts, offering race day concessions, free race days, and more to its members. Only three racecourses have not subscribed to the scheme (Ayr, Hexham, and Newton Abbot) and concessions differ from racecourse to racecourse. Individual and Joint memberships are offered - please see their website for details and prices.
Rewards4Racing: Free to join. Purchase items (including horse racing tickets) from thousands of top brands via the website and collect 'money' in the form of points. You can then spend your points and save money on race day tickets, racecourse hospitality, and memberships. You can also spend your points to win great racing prizes. A bit of a no-brainer if you're a regular attendee of horse racing meetings. See the website for how to join.
Tickets4Troops: This scheme enables its members to apply for free / discounted tickets to many entertainment and sporting events if they are serving members of HM Armed Forces, or have been medically discharged from the Forces since the commencement of military action in Afghanistan in 2001, or have been awarded a medical pension by the Ministry of Defence and discharged after 2001, or are the next of kin to a service person who has died as a result of their service. There are normally a limited number of tickets available and they are usually issued on a 'first come, first served' basis, so you need to be quick. See the website for details.
There are some concessions offered only by certain racecourses, normally those racecourses that are independently owned. Some of these are:
Catterick Racecourse: A Military discount is offered although it is not part of Tickets4Troops. Please contact the racecourse for details.
Chester Racecourse: An early bird policy is adopted here. There are three ticket prices for their fixtures, depending on when you buy. The earlier you buy, the cheaper the ticket.
Great Yarmouth Racecourse: Discounts are offered via What's On magazine, and also through the Tesco Clubcard. Contact the racecourse for details.
Hereford Racecourse: Concessions are offered to members of the Elite Racing syndicate. Contact the racecourse for details.
Kelso Racecourse: Again, an early bird policy is adopted here - the earlier you buy, the cheaper the ticket. Contact the racecourse for details.
Ripon Racecourse: A discount of £5 is given to those who travel to one of their fixtures by cycle, or by public transport. Contact the racecourse for details.
York Racecourse: A discount is offered to visitors aged between 18 and 22. Contact the racecourse for details.
JOCKEY CLUB RACECOURSES only
All Jockey Club racecourses offer free admission tickets to visitors aged 17 and under, and also to carers of visitors with accessible requirements. All Jockey Club racecourses also offer a concession to members of the Racegoers Club, on the production of their membership card. All Jockey Club racecourses subscribe to the Rewards4Racing scheme too. The free-to-register Jockey Club 18 to 24 race pass offers a 50% discount to its members at all Jockey Club racecourses.
However, students can only claim a concession at one of their racecourses - Warwick*. With seniors, it's a lot more 'complicated'. Aintree, Cheltenham, Exeter, Kempton Park, and Wincanton Racecourses offer no concessions to seniors at all, whereas Carlisle, Epsom, Haydock Park, Huntingdon, Market Rasen, Newmarket, Nottingham, Sandown Park, and Warwick Racecourses offer concessions to those aged over 65. Some of these concessions might not apply to all (larger) meetings either, so check with the racecourse beforehand.
Aintree, Exeter, and Sandown Park Racecourses are not part of the Blue Light Card scheme, and Aintree, and Cheltenham Racecourses have not subscribed to Tickets4Troops.
* This has now changed. Students can now apply for a 50% discount on tickets by going to the website of the Jockey Club racecourse that they wish to visit and opening a free Student Beans account.
ARENA RACING COMPANY RACECOURSES only
All Arena Racing Company (ARC) racecourses have subscribed to the Blue Light Card, Tickets4Troops, and Rewards4Racing schemes. And all of their racecourses also offer concessions to Racegoers Club members, on the production of their membership card. All ARC racecourses also offer free tickets to visitors aged 17 and under, and also to carers / personal assistants of visitors with accessible needs.
A student concession is not offered by Doncaster, Ffos Las, Hereford, or Worcester Racecourses but all ARC racecourses, with the exception of Ffos Las Racecourse, do provide a concession to seniors, although it depends on their age. Chepstow, Doncaster, Great Yarmouth, Newcastle, Sedgefield, Southwell, Uttoxeter, Windsor, Wolverhampton, and Worcester Racecourses all offer concessions to seniors aged 60-plus. However, seniors need to be 'over 60' to obtain a concession at Bath, Brighton, Fontwell Park, Hereford, and Lingfield Park Racecourses.*
* ARC has amended their concessions for seniors so that concessions are now offered to visitors aged 60-plus at all of their racecourses.
INDEPENDENT RACECOURSES only
There is always likely to be more inconsistency in concessions offered by independently owned racecourses, they make their own decisions after all. However, all independent racecourses offer free entry to visitors aged 17 and under, and also to carers of visitors with accessible needs. Newton Abbot Racecourse offers the fewest concessions of any racecourse. Apart from free entry for children and carers, there are no other concessions or discounts offered at all. Obviously, Newton Abbot Racing Limited (which owns the racecourse) has its reasons for that.
Of the twenty-six independently owned racecourses, only Plumpton and York Racecourses have opted to be part of the Rewards4Racing scheme. Ayr and Hexham Racecourses (along with Newton Abbot) have also decided not to offer concessions to Racegoers Club members. All independent racecourses have subscribed to the Tickets4Troops scheme except for Newton Abbot, and also Newbury Racecourse. Catterick Racecourse has its own 'military-based' concession. All independent racecourses (apart from Newton Abbot again) have opted into the Blue Light Card scheme.
The following independently owned racecourses offer no concessions at all to seniors: Ascot, Cartmel, Fakenham, Kelso, Ludlow, Newton Abbot, Plumpton, Salisbury, Stratford On Avon, and Taunton. The rest do offer a concession to seniors but it's dependent on their age. Pontefract Racecourse has an 'age 60-plus' concession, whereas Ayr, Hamilton Park, Newbury, Perth, and Ripon racecourses offer concessions to those aged over 60 (i.e. aged 61 and over), and Beverley, Catterick, Chelmsford City, Goodwood, Hexham, Leicester, Redcar, Thirsk, Wetherby, and York racecourses all offer concessions to visitors aged 66 and over (in other words, over 65). Student concessions are evenly split with roughly half of the independently owned racecourses offering them, and half not (see the chart below).
We just wish that there was more consistency amongst all racecourses. It would make life so much easier for the racegoer if all racecourses offered the same, whatever that may be.
CHESTER RACE COMPANY RACECOURSES only
As you'd imagine, the three Chester Race Company-owned racecourses are pretty similar in what concessions are offered. However, only Musselburgh Racecourse offers concessions to students and also to seniors (aged over 65). Bangor On Dee and Chester Racecourses prefer the 'early bird' policy.
All three racecourses offer a free entry ticket to children aged 17 and under, and also to carers of visitors with accessible requirements. All three have also opted into the Blue Light Card, and Tickets4Troops schemes, and also offer Racegoers Club concessions. None of them, however, are part of Rewards4Racing.