Overlooked by many visitors to Belfast, this is a great place to spend a day (or evening) out. There might not be a race meeting on when you're here, but if there is then it's well worth considering a trip to Down Royal. As racecourses go, this one is pretty small. But, if you enjoy horse-racing, you'll have a good time here. The day racing usually starts between 1 and 2pm, with evening meetings around 4pm until 7pm or so.
Entry fee is usually around £10, and the 'Punter's Pack' is pretty good value, averaging about £20 and including a £5 bet, a pint, a race card, and a sandwich. There are plenty of bookmakers there to take your money, er, I mean take your bets (around 40 bookmakers there I'd guess - never really thought to count them!). You can also bet indoor at the tote (I won't bore non-punters with the details of the tote). The outdoor bookmakers are on the rails just near the finishing line. This is a great place to stand and watch the horses go thundering by, merely feet away from you. It's an exhilarating feeling as they go hammering by, and it's amazing how big the horses are in real life - they don't look quite that big on TV. You can go down to the paddock and watch the horses parading before the race.
If it's a miserable day you can always sit in the bar and watch the racing with a pint and a bit of grub, but it's not the same as being out among it. It's pretty annoying get pints in plastic glasses, but what can you do?
The racecourse isn't that far from Belfast, about 9 or 10 miles, so a taxi from a city centre depot shouldn't cost more than around £16 or so. read more