The study from betting tips, predictions and news site, The Winners Enclosure, analysed the number of Instagram hashtags each of the 85 active racecourses across the UK and Ireland have, and compared this figure to their capacity to reveal the racecourses that punters believe are most photogenic.
Across the UK and Ireland, 6,066 million people attended a racecourse in 2023*, but in Ireland it is fans who went to Galway who are most likely to share their experiences on social media.
Galway Summer Festival is the most Instagrammable racecourse in Ireland and third most Instagrammable overall in the UK, as it receives a hefty 62,000 hashtags from fans. With a capacity of 45,000, this gives Galway a posts-per-spectator score of 1.38.
The Ballybrit Racecourse is perfect to snap photos for Instagram, with the backdrop of the rolling hills of County Galway and surrounding Irish countryside providing a picturesque setting.
Naas is Ireland’s second most ‘Instagrammable’ racecourse. With a maximum capacity of just 6,000 people, but a hefty 1,500 posts, it means Naas has a 0.25posts-per-spectator score, which puts it 30th overall in the UK and Ireland.
Taking third spot in Ireland is Killarney, with a 0.16 posts-per-spectator score. The racecourse has the same capacity as Naas with 6,000, but fewer Instagram posts at 1,000. Overall this ranks Killarney in 36th place in the UK and Ireland rankings.
The study revealed that Chester racecourse is the most photogenic in the UK. Established in 1539, the 25,000-capacity racecourse is the oldest still in operation around the world and has amassed 70,700 posts from the hashtag #ChesterRaces. This gives it a post-per-spectator ratio of 2.83, almost double that of any other racecourse, and shows the positive sentiment that fans have towards the track.
Cheltenham has the most hashtags of any UK and Ireland racecourse with 98,900 people using #CheltenhamRaces on Instagram. Prestbury Park has a capacity of 68,500 which is often sold out every March, and this means the famous course has 1.44 posts-per-spectator, which puts it second.
York ranks fourth, thanks to its post-per-spectator ratio of 1.24. Up to 56,000 fans descend on the flat course during the summer, and this has led to 69,200 hashtags on Instagram.
Scotland’s highest-ranking racecourse is Perth, which takes fifth overall. Located around 38 miles north of Edinburgh, it has a capacity of 10,000. Almost 9,000 spectators have posted pictures at the racecourse on Instagram which gives it 0.9posts-per-spectator.
