Easy access to great meetings for the people of Reading

Whilst Reading doesn’t have its own major racecourse in the town, for punters in the area there are many easy ways that you can access a great day out at the races, with just a short journey.

One option is Ascot, which is home to some of the biggest races in the British calendar, notably the Royal Ascot festival which is regularly graced by the Queen. Of course, there are regular meetings other than Ascot which will bring some high profile runners and riders throughout the year. Another is Newbury which again has a busy racing fixture list that attracts people from all over the country.

Starting with Ascot, it is a journey that should take you around half an hour, whether by train or car. For those of you in car, it is a fairly straightforward route form the A329 and the course is 15 miles from the city centre. Not bad, considering you are going to one of the best courses in the United Kingdom. However, a popular route is by train, which of course gives you more freedom to enjoy a few drinks when you arrive at the course. Thankfully for the people of Reading, there is a regular service providing on average 43 trains a day from Reading to Ascot, including early morning starts and late night returns if you plan on making a day of it. When it comes to Ascot, the obvious standout time to go is Royal Ascot, which has many high profile races, including the Gold Cup. The winner this year was Order of St. George who came on strong ridden by Ryan Moore to secure victory. Although he wasn’t long odds in this year’s race, opening as the favourite in at 10-11, however, I’m sure the many of you who backed him will still be delighted that he won! When it comes to the latest horse racing odds, at Ascot or round the country, you can follow bookies.com for all the latest news and offers.

Elsewhere, Newbury is an alternative track that is accessible to the people of Reading. Again, this should take you around 30 minutes to the Berkshire countryside and will involve a straightforward journey down the M4. When it comes to trains, they aren’t as frequent as those to Ascot, but they still run fairly regularly which gives you freedom when planning your day out. Newbury has a range of flat and jump days ahead which allows you to see the best of the runners on both types of tracks.

Overall, the accessibility to both of these courses is ideal to anyone based in Reading, and they give you the chance to experience some of the best meetings in the UK. The added bonus is the ease at which you can access the trains, meaning you can have a great day out, enjoying a few drinks and not worry about stopping in a hotel or leaving one member of the group as a designated driver. So find the dates that suit you and enjoy a great day out at the races.