Horse Racing has returned and we look at the schedule for the coming month
- Horse Racing returned in the UK on June 1st
- There has been no racing in this country since 18th March, including the Grand National
- A superb month of racing is in store throughout June
Horseracing in the UK ground to a halt on March 18th and the Republic of Ireland followed suit just six days later, however the enforced break is now well and truly behind us and punters can look forward to an action-packed June. The loss of racing fixtures means that the next few weeks will be jam-packed with action including the 1000 and 2000 Guineas in both the UK and Ireland as well as the eagerly anticipated Royal Ascot. The spectators will be missing from the racecourses for the time being but that shouldn’t dampen the spirits now that our favourite sport has made a welcome comeback.
2nd June
Newcastle Racecourse was the venue for racing’s return on the 1st June and the action continues at this north-east venue a day later, joined by Kempton Park with an all-weather meeting.
3rd June
This summer’s first flat turf meeting gets underway at Yarmouth while there looks set to be some thrilling action once again from Kempton Park for the second time in as many days.
4th June
The Group 3 Pavilion Stakes takes place at Newcastle this year, while Newmarket gets in on the action with their first meeting of the summer.
5th June
Newmarket will take over from Epsom as the venue for the Coronation Cup this year and this will be the first Group 1 race of the season. A total of eleven entries have been received for this race and it promises to be a highly entertaining renewal. The card also includes the Paradise Stakes and the Abernant Stakes, while the Oaks and Derby trials get underway at Lingfield Park on the same day.
6th June
Centre stage is firmly taken by the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and this promises to be a great day of racing with the card also including the Dahlia Fillies’ Stakes and the Palace House Stakes. Newcastle and Lingfield also get in on the action.
7th June
The fillies get their chance to shine in the 1000 Guineas at racing’s HQ, while we also have the Pretty Polly Fillies’ Stakes and the Buckhounds Stakes to look forward to on this day. The Brigadier Gerard Stakes is the highlight of Haydock’s opening meeting of 2020.
8th June
The Republic of Ireland will welcome the return of racing with a meeting at Naas, while across the Irish Sea meetings will also take place at Chelmsford, Lingfield and Haydock.
9th June
Leopardstown is the venue for the Irish Guineas’ trials while more racing will come our way from Chelmsford and Haydock. Wolverhampton returns to the fold with a meeting on this day.
10th – 11th June
Racing returns to Yorkshire with a two-day meeting at Pontefract while Yarmouth also provided action over these two days. Bath returns to the fold on 11th June while the Irish offering involves meetings at Gowran and Navan.
12th June
The Irish 2000 Guineas takes centre stage at the Curragh with the card also including the Ridgewood Pearl Stakes. Newbury enjoys a return on this day while all-weather offerings come our way from Wolverhampton and Kempton.
13th June
The Curragh once again takes centre stage with what promises to be a scintillating renewal of the Irish 1000 Guineas while things are hotting up over the Irish Sea with meetings at Leicester, Doncaster, Sandown and Newbury.
14th – 15th June
Action heads our way from Leopardstown while Newmarket, Goodwood and Doncaster also have cards. In Ireland, Roscommon and Fairyhouse return to the fold on the Monday following their enforced breaks while Pontefract and Goodwood offer some afternoon action with Chepstow rounding things off later in the day.
16th – 20th June
Royal Ascot is a meeting which is unrivalled around the world and punters have six new races to enjoy this time around. The King’s Stand Stakes and the Queen Anne will take place on the opening day as part of a seven-race card while Thirsk and nearby Windsor also host meetings on this day.
Four handicaps take place at Ascot on Day Two of the five-day meeting while Beverley and Chelmsford also get in on the action. The offering from Ireland involves cards from Gowran Park and Limerick.
Day Three of Royal Ascot is dominated by the showpiece Gold Cup with all eyes on Stradivarius as he seeks a hat-trick in the race. Fairyhouse, Redcar and Newmarket provide alternatives to the royal meeting.
The Commonwealth Cup and the Norfolk Stakes are the highlights of Day Four of Royal Ascot, while elsewhere meetings will take place at Lingfield, Newmarket, Gowran Park and Tipperary.
The closing day of Royal Ascot involves a card of eight races including the St James’ Palace Stakes, the Coronation Stakes and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. The three-day meeting at Newmarket draws to a close while the day’s line-up is completed by Kempton, Ripon and Naas.
21st – 25th June
The action keeps on coming with some busy days straight after the royal meeting. Wolverhampton, Redcar, Kempton and Leopardstown all stage meetings on 21st while the first Scottish offering of the summer will get underway at Ayr the following day. Irish jumping will return with a meeting at Limerick.
Beverley has an afternoon meeting on 23rd June while the two evening cards are filled by Kempton and Chepstow. The following day sees action from Windsor, Hamilton and Haydock while Roscommon provides some Irish jump action.
Three more meetings come our way on 25th with action from Leicester, Haydock and Bath.
26th – 28th June
The Curragh treats us to a three-day meeting over these dates, the highlight of this event being the Irish Derby on the 27th.
The 26th sees meetings come our way from Lingfield, Newmarket and Doncaster while a jumps meeting will get underway at Tipperary.
The following day involves action from Lingfield, Redcar, Newmarket and Newcastle while on the 28th we see action from Hamilton, Windsor, Newmarket and the Curragh where the standout race is undoubtedly the Pretty Polly Stakes.
29th – 30th June
Windsor once again contributes to the action with a meeting on the 29th and this is complemented by cards from Thirsk and Yarmouth. The Irish offering on this day involves meetings at Kilbeggan and Limerick while the final day of the month sees Musselburgh return to the fold alongside Doncaster.
