Chester Racecourse is just a few minutes walk from the city centre of Chester; here you can experience the oldest racecourse in England still in use today at the Chester Races.
Located just outside the Chester city walls, the Chester racecourse; often referred to as the ’Roodee’, is on the site of the original harbour which encouraged the Romans to settle in Chester in the AD70s. The waters of the River Dee flowed right up to the base of the medieval wall; on which we can now stand. However, at this time the wall was much further back than it is now.
The Roman harbour wall can be discovered with some searching from the racecourse. Much of the huge stones are now buried well under ground. Further investigations 
have been hampered by the dangers caused by deep waters still to be found below this level.
The harbour was eventually closed, as silting of the river made it impractical for mooring ships for delivery of goods, and ultimately the area became impassable.
The Roodee
The name Roodee is derived from ‘Rood Eye’. This has the meaning ‘The Island of the Cross’; and refers to a sandstone cross, the stump of which can be seen at the Chester Racecourse today.
The Rood (Cross) dates back to AD946, and legend has it that beneath the cross is buried a statue of the Virgin Mary. The statue was tried and found guilty of causing the death to the wife of the Governor of Hawarden. The Governor’s wife had gone to the Hawarden church to pray for rain to ease the relentless drought. There was a massive thunderstorm, the statue fell and killed Lady Trawst.
Of one legend, it is said that the statue was left on the banks of the River Dee below Hawarden Castle; as whilst the court convicted the statue by jury and condemned it to hang, because of the Holy image depicted by the statue it was felt that God should 
decide its fate. It is also said that this was first court case in England to be decided upon by a jury.
The statue was washed down the River Dee, finally resting in Chester where it is said to have been decided that God had chosen to ‘drown’ the statue. The residents of Chester buried the statue and it is now thought to rest beneath the Rood.
Horseracing
Chester racecourse held its first recorded horserace in 1540; prior to this the site had been used to play the famously bloody Goteddsday (Shrove Tuesday) football match which was banned because of its violence. This decision was made by the city’s mayor of the 1500s, Henry Gee –which is where the term ‘gee-gee’ is derived from.
Today, the Chester racecourse is one of only two racecourses within a city centre (the other is in York) which makes it a popular day out for many. You can even watch the spectacle for free from the city walls; with a fantastic view spanning the whole course.
The racecourse runs over a dozen racing fixtures between May and September.
Housing three stands, a fantastic day can be had by all. Whether you visit the County Stand dressed in all your finery, the Tattersalls Stand for a party day out, or the Dee Stand for a relaxing family day out.
If you want something different from the thrill of the races, Chester racecourse is also home to the British Masters Show Jumping and international British Polo Club events.
Outside of the horseracing season, the Roodee has excellent conference facilities for any occasion.
Chester Races May Festival 2010
Chester Races Ladies Evening 2010
Chester Races Midsummer Meeting 2010
Chester Races Ladies and Gents Evening 2010