Newcastle Races Today – Get Newcastle Tips from Tyneside Track
If you thought Gosforth Park was just a movie, then think again as it’s the location of Newcastle races today and has been for almost 150 years. The northeast of England has three racecourses in it, but this one draws the biggest crowds with the best action.
Home to both National Hunt fixtures and All-Weather Flat race meetings, there are lots of Newcastle tips on offer. That’s because it is one of the busiest racecourses in the country.
History of Newcastle Racecourse
High Gosforth Park replaced the Town Moor outside Newcastle-upon-Tyne, not to be confused with the site of Doncaster races of the same name, as the location for horse racing in this area in 1882. This meant a change of venue for the Northumberland Plate after almost half-a-century.
Newcastle races today may not use common land, but its roots go even further back. Before the Town Moor hosted meetings, Killingworth had horse racing as early as the beginning of the 17th Century. Despite George II inaugurating a King’s Plate in 1753, it’s 1833 and the creation of the Northumberland Plate that looks central to the sport’s local history.
With so many collieries part of the coalmining industry surrounding Newcastle, the big race soon became known as “the Pitman’s Derby”. Supporting the Northumberland Plate from 1867 was the Seaton Delaval Stakes, run first as a sprint and later a seven-furlong race before its discontinuation in 1985, then recreation as an All-Weather mile handicap.
Jumps fixtures have been part of the offering at Newcastle Racecourse since the switch to Gosforth Park, but the big hurdle race and steeplechase events are relatively new editions to its fixture list. Neither can match the track’s most historical race on the Flat.
The Eider Chase, an official Grand National trial for the world’s most famous steeplechase at Aintree races, first took place in 1952. As for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, which honours the local Royal Northumberland Fusiliers regiment for its military exploits, that came along in 1969.
In light of the often testing ground horses face here, Newcastle race track owners ARC decided to replace Flat racing on turf with an All-Weather track in 2013. An artificial Tapeta surface opened three years later in 2016. When considering Newcastle tips today, it’s important to remember this.
Is Newcastle Races Today Flat or Jumps?
As mentioned above, there are both National Hunt and All-Weather Flat meetings from Newcastle. The Round Course is a left-handed track with a full circuit of about a mile-and-three quarters. Joining this for the uphill run-in of half-a-mile is the Straight Mile only used for All-Weather sprints and Flat races up to that distance.
Watch out for front runners getting loose and draw bias on the straight with that factored into Newcastle horse racing tips for the artificial surface. Things are a little different on the oval course; which, despite easy ground in the winter months, is a galloping track that suits strong travellers. The back straight doesn’t have that uphill finish for horses to face turning for home. It’s a flatter track over on that far side.
In hurdle races, horses at Newcastle jump seven flights on a full lap. First up, there’s an obstacle after the winning post past the highest point on the course. Three hurdles follow down the back and as many more in the home straight, but an accurate jump at the last is essential with a short run-in.
As for the steeplechases at Newcastle races today, there are nine fences on a complete circuit. Five of those come in the back straight with the second on this section of the course an open ditch. Another one of those follows as the first obstacle off the home turn. That leaves three plain fences between horses and the winning post.
Key Newcastle Races Fixtures
Outside of four major meetings each year, most of our Newcastle tips are on floodlit racing for evening cards on the All-Weather. Dealing with the highlights of the fixture list in chronological order, the Eider Chase day takes place towards the end of February.
On Good Friday, meanwhile, the focus is on the All-Weather Championships Finals. At the end of June, the artificial surface comes into its own once again for the three-day Northumberland Plate Festival. As horse racing festivals go, there are more illustrious ones, but this modest event still has the Seaton Delaval Handicap and Gosforth Park Cup as warm-ups for the Pitmen’s Derby on the last Saturday in June.
Supporting the Northumberland Plate is a consolation race for horses that didn’t make the cut and some Group 3 All-Weather Flat races. At the end of November, Newcastle races today have their Fighting Fifth Hurdle card. Watch out for the Rehearsal Chase and The French Furze Novices’ Hurdle on that card too. This directly competes with Newbury races and the Coral Gold Cup for attention.
The Biggest Races We Have Newcastle Tips for
With most horse racing fixtures from Newcastle on the All-Weather, the majority of its most valuable contests take place on the Tapeta surface. This number includes the course’s most famous race, the Northumberland Plate.
All good tips for Newcastle today should include horses that act on artificial surfaces or the easier going of the winter months for jumpers. Here’s a more detailed look at some of the big betting races from the Tyneside track.
All-Weather Championships Finals
Two of these championship races on the Tapeta, the Easter Classic and the Marathon, came with over £90,000 for first place in 2025. Apart from the Burradon Stakes, a Listed event restricted to three-year-olds on the Straight Mile, every other race on the card awarded £77,310 to the winner.
With Championships for fillies and mares, sprinters, milers and three-year-olds, plus the middle and long-distance divisions, this Good Friday fixture doles out almost £550,000 to successful horses alone in total. Newcastle racing tips consider the best performers on the All-Weather qualified to run in the respective Championships with big fields on show.
Northumberland Plate Tips
Dating back to 1833, this Heritage Handicap for Flat stayers is the centrepiece of the eponymous festival from Newcastle Racecourse at end of June. It sometimes goes into the beginning of July, depending on how late Royal Ascot falls.
The Northumberland Plate run over an extended two miles is the main event at this track. Tips for Newcastle races today don’t get any bigger as it’s the course’s big betting race and flagship contest. Successful horses must stay and, since 2016, act on Tapeta rather than turf.
As if the Northumberland Plate needed any more legitimacy, champion stayer Trueshan defied topweight of 10st 8lb to win in 2022 under one of the greatest weight carrying performances of all-time for Hollie Doyle and Alan King. First prize in 2025 was £81,000 and Spirit Mixer picked up the cash, having finished second three seasons earlier.
Fighting Fifth Hurdle Tips
The National Hunt race we give Newcastle tips for takes place at the end of November. Becoming a Grade 1 hurdle race in 2004, the Fighting Fifth gained almost immediate credibility in the 1970s because of the top hurdlers travelling to Tyneside to take each other on. Comedy Of Errors, Night Nurse, Birds Nest and Sea Pigeon all won it, and their battles against one another are the stuff of legend.
As two-mile hurdle races go, the Fighting Fifth has a great history and also some shock results. Cornerstone Lad caused an upset when denying Buveur d’Air a hat-trick in the race in 2019 as the favourite got part of a hurdle stuck in his hoof. Epatante and Not So Sleepy famously dead-heated in 2021, so expect drama.
Sir Gino enhanced Nicky Henderson’s magnificent record in the Fighting Fifth when landing the almost £65,500 first place prize money in 2024. The Seven Barrows trainer has nine wins in the race this century. All Newcastle racing tips today look closely at any runners Henderson sends up north from Lambourn.
Chipchase Stakes
Although the Gosforth Park Cup is the better known sprint race at the Northumberland Plate Festival, this six-furlong contest has Group 3 status. Also moving to Tapeta from 2016 onwards, the Jacobean mansion of the same name some 30 miles north of Newcastle is the inspiration for this event.
William Haggas boasts an excellent recent record in the Chipchase Stakes with three winners since 2022, so anything he sends up from Newmarket commands respect. That’s an angle that Newcastle races tips should consider too.
Clive Cox landed the spoils in 2025 with Diligent Harry, however. Connections took just over £51,000 in prize money home with them for his neck win. Although open to three-year-olds, the Chipchase often goes to a more mature sprinter.
Eider Chase
At four miles and a furlong, this is the longest distance race under Rules in the Northeast. Dating back to 1952, its initial conception was as a trial for the Grand National with a late February slot some six weeks before the main event at Aintree. These days, the ratings bar is so high for the world’s most famous steeplechase that Eider Chase winners won’t make the cut on Merseyside.
Evolving from an Aintree trial into one for the Scottish Grand National at Ayr races, Newcastle betting tips must focus on stamina above all else here. The Eider Chase produced Win My Wings and Kitty’s Light to complete this double in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
First prize in 2025 was over £41,600 with Knockanore routing his rivals for Ryan Potter and claiming conditional Freddie Mitchell. Anything saddled by Welsh trainer Christian Williams, who specialises in staying chasers, or Yorkshire-based Geordie handler Brian Ellison are worth closer inspection.
Rehearsal Handicap Chase
Starting out at Chepstow races where it was first a prep race for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and later the Welsh Grand National, this Premier Handicap Chase moved to Newcastle in 2005. It acts as the big race over fences on the Fighting Fifth card.
Helped by subsequent Punchestown Gold Cup and Grand National hero Neptune Collonges winning it in 2006 on his first steeplechase start in the UK, Venetia Williams boasts a good recent record. She has three Rehearsal Chase successes since 2016 including L’Homme Presse.
Stamina is perhaps the biggest attribute Newcastle races today tips need with their selections for this race. It can often be bottomless ground at the track, meaning the almost three-mile distance takes some getting. Frero Banbou picked up almost £40,000 for finishing first in 2024.
Northumberland Vase
The consolation race for the Northumberland Plate isn’t too shabby in prize money terms. Over £38,600 is the winner’s purse, but obviously connections of competing horses would prefer to be in the big Heritage Handicap. The Vase has the same conditions and terms as the Plate with those failing to make the cut in the latter dropping into it.
Punters should be careful with Newcastle horse tips here, because some runners may save their best for another day, rather than give their all in a consolation race. The Northumberland Vase produced subsequent Cesarewitch winner Alphonse Le Grande in 2024, who went on that autumn to Heritage Handicap glory at Newmarket races on turf and soft going.
Hoppings Stakes
Another Group 3 race (since 2018) at the big All-Weather fixture to finish with, but restricted to fillies and mares over an extended mile-and-a-quarter. This is on the supporting card at the Northumberland Plate Festival.
Smart Newcastle race tips consider carefully the weight for age three-year-olds receive from their elders here. Roger Varian boasts a fine record in the Hoppings Stakes since the switch to Tapeta with three fillies successful since 2016.
Godolphin retained trainer Charlie Appleby saddled the winner in 2025, however, as Diamond Rain prevailed. Returned at an odds-on Starting Price of 5/6, the favourite proved too good for two other females based at Newmarket and received almost £37,000 for her trouble.
FAQs
Is Newcastle races on today?
If there’s a meeting on from Newcastle on any given day, then you will know. That is because our data-driven tips display at the top of this page. Once these events finish, all Newcastle races today results are also available if you need to check over anything.
Where is Newcastle Racecourse?
High Gosforth Park, some five-and-a-half miles north of Newcastle-upon-Tyne city centre, is the location of this track. It’s a two-hour walk on foot, so racegoers should consider public transport or a taxi.
Why was Newcastle races today abandoned?
If the races from Newcastle have been called off, then chances are it’ll be during the winter months and due to bad weather coming in off the North Sea or because of the going. The ground becomes very testing with waterlogging in the back straight a possibility.
Where can I find tips and Newcastle races results today?
You can view the latest racing results from Newcastle races today right here on Racing Tipster. We provide that service free of charge, alongside our tips.
Why give free Newcastle tips?
We have free horse racing tips for Newcastle because AI does all the hard work on Racing Tipster, rather than humans. All key data goes into algorithms with trainer and jockey form, past performances, going conditions and more, so there are logical selections.
Next Race
