PEOPLE are just as keen for a day at the Races as ever, with thousands of people snapping up tickets to Chester Racecourse within hours of them going on sale.

After last year, which saw a reduced Chester Races calendar held without spectators, the historic horse-racing fixtures are due to return with full capacity crowds this summer – Covid restrictions permitting.

And it has been revealed that, within just the first 12 hours of tickets going on sale on March 15, more than £1 million of tickets were sold – something which would normally take about six months to achieve.

Demand was so high for tickets to the Chester Races events that the ticketing website temporarily crashed.

As things stand, June 21 is the Government's end date for all Covid restrictions.

This falls just a few days before Chester Racecourse will hold its first racing of the season which punters can attend back in their thousands.

Friday, June 25 will see the Clogau Ladies Evening, while the Summer Festival will be held on Saturday, June 26.

Tickets remain on sale for the following fixtures:

  • July 9: Ladies and Gents’ Evening
  • July 10: City Plate Day
  • August 21: Ladies Day
  • September 10: Autumn Festival Friday
  • September 11: Autumn Festival Saturday
  • September 25: Event name to be confirmed
  • October 2: Season Finale

The traditional season-opener, the Boodles May Festival, will still be held behind closed doors. Chester Racecourse had been working hard to make the event a pilot for the return of sporting events, which could have allowed a limited number of spectators to return with mass Covid testing on site. However, continued restrictions put those plans on hold, and spectators will have to watch the racing action on Sky Sports Racing or through the Chester Racecourse social media channels.

Tickets can be purchased at https://www.chester-races.com/