Brighton, well known as "London-on-Sea", is a uniquely beautiful seaside city: bohemian, buzzing and gloriously its own. Racing has been held on the Downs since 1783, when the Prince of Wales - the future George IV, rode up Race Hill and made Brighton the height of fashion.
High on Whitehawk Hill, a mile from the seafront, Brighton Racecourse looks out over the rooftops and out to the English Channel - a view no other racecourse in Britain can offer. Just a mile from the city centre and ten minutes from the Pier, it's the perfect excuse for a weekend in London-on-Sea.
Brighton is one of the very few racecourses in Britain that doesn't form a full circuit. Instead, a sweeping left-handed horseshoe runs a mile and a half across the Downs, all undulations and camber, with a stiff uphill climb to the line. It's a tricky, characterful track that rewards local knowledge and makes specialists of certain horses, so course form counts here. The biggest crowds come for our three-day Festival each August, but the hill draws a buzzing, anything-goes seaside crowd right through the summer.
Brighton offers uniqueness at every turn, so is well worth an explore. A good few starting points would be:
Brighton's spoiled for boutique boltholes. A few of our favourites:
Find Your Way Around Brighton
We're on Freshfield Road, up on Whitehawk Hill, just off the A23 and A27 and signposted across the city.
By Car - Free parking right on site. Straight up the A23 from London, or the A27 along the coast.
By Train - Brighton Station is the nearest, direct from London Victoria and London Bridge in around an hour. From there it's a 10-minute taxi up to the course (rank outside the station; local firms include Brighton & Hove Radio Cabs and City Cabs), or a 25–30 minute walk.
By Bus - Buses 2, 2A and 37 serve the racecourse, with stops on Warren Road and Freshfield Road.
