Leicester Racecourse is based at Oadby on the southern edge of the city and has been the home of Leicester racing since 1883, replacing the earlier courses at Abbey Meadow, St Mary's Field and Victoria Park. Racing in Leicester goes back to at least 1603, with the Leicester Gold Cup first run in 1807 at Victoria Park before the move to Oadby. The present course quickly became an important venue, staging some of the most valuable races in Britain in the late 19th century, including the Prince of Wales Stakes and the Portland Stakes, both of which at one point carried more prize money than any of the Classics. It was also where Gordon Richards rode the first winner of his career in 1921 and where Golden Miller won his first race in 1931.

The track is a right‑handed oval of about a mile and five furlongs with a straight seven‑furlong course that joins the round track four and a half furlongs from home. The straight course falls for the first half before rising for two furlongs and levelling out to the line, creating a stiff uphill finish that tests stamina. Flat races range from five furlongs to about a mile and a half, while the steeplechase course, also a mile and five furlongs, carries ten fences, with the water jump and open ditch positioned in the back straight. Hurdle races are run on the flat course. The last three furlongs are notably demanding, and the course is known for producing honest, reliable form.

Leicester today is a busy dual‑purpose track, staging around twenty‑nine fixtures a year across Flat and jumps. Its most valuable Flat race is the King Richard III Stakes in April, and it continues to serve as a proving ground for progressive horses thanks to its fair layout and stamina‑testing finish.

Winners at Leicester (22)

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