Classic Race Replays

Watch These 10 Iconic UK & Irish Horse Races Online Today

admin December 3, 2025

Horse racing’s story runs deep through the UK and Ireland—packed with wild comebacks, famous riders, and tough tracks, yet always full of surprises. If you are unwinding after a round of Pusoy Go or just browsing odds online, video replays bring every sprint straight to your screen. Not just any old footage—from dusty Derby days to the steady rhythm of Gold Cup chases, past glory plays out again at home. Check this handpicked lineup of 10 top-tier British and Irish races, along with real-time spots to stream each replay without delay.

1. The 1981 Derby at Epsom

Back in ’81, the Derby made waves—not just for speed, but for how it unfolded. Folks still chat about that nail-biting last stretch. The way riders played their cards kept everyone on edge. You could feel the energy build right up to the wire. Even now, watching it feels intense—like you are there.

2. The 1996 Grand National at Aintree

This Grand National had surprises around every turn, with bold leaps that left fans gripping their chairs. Because the replay shows each jump, plus the intense seconds before the win unfolds.

3. 2013 Gold Cup at Ascot

The Gold Cup stands as the ultimate test in endurance racing; back in 2017, it brought nonstop thrills from beginning to end. Checking out the rerun helps you see the grit, planning, or split-second choices needed for elite-level turf events.

4. The 2005 Irish Derby at the Curragh

The Irish Derby’s long shown off top local racehorses. In 2005, tight racing put rider talent on display, keeping viewers hooked while they checked old results.

5. 2010 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham

Cheltenham Festival races pack serious heat—take the 2010 Champion Hurdle, just as wild. That rerun? It shows quick moves, raw pace, and also smart choices mid-race—the stuff that turns hurdles into edge-of-seat action.

6. The 1973 Epsom Oaks

A timeless moment, the ’73 Oaks showed top-level conditioning, stamina, and fierce rivalry between young female horses. Watching it again helps viewers notice the smart moves and careful planning behind this legendary event.

7. 1998 St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster

A top UK horse race, the St. Leger throws up wild sprints now and then—keeping fans on edge. That ’98 run? Super close at the line, packed with sharp contenders; a real treat if you like breaking down how races unfold.

8. The 2008 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown

This race mixed speed with sharp thinking, featuring top Irish horses going neck and neck. The replay reveals how riders handle timing plus placement when the pressure’s on.

9. 1989 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot

Famous for big names and flashy talent, that ’89 run had fierce battles plus an ending you won’t forget. Watching it again lets you check out how riders push pace and horses hold strength in a serious sprint on turf.

10. 2015 Grand National at Aintree

A different Grand National moment—theand 2015 run hit sudden twists, revealing just how wild this famous race can get. Watch again to see the ups and downs that turned it into a crowd-pleaser.

Checking out these races on the web’s a breeze—maybe you are rewatching classics or stumbling upon epic rides you have never seen. Sites such as Racing TV, At The Races, and The Jockey Club let you stream today’s action or dig into past showdowns. A few clips cost nothing; some ask for a login or fee—but every one gives sharp video worth watching closely.

Final Thoughts

Reliving classic UK and Irish horse races through video isn’t only about seeing dramatic endings again—it lets you notice the tactics and talent but also the endurance behind each run. If you have followed racing for years or are just stumbling upon these legendary events now, recorded clips deliver all the thrill right to your device.

Check out these ten old-school races, and then you’ll feel the rush while picking up on how horse racing became such a lasting favorite. Grab a cozy spot, fire up your go-to video site, and toss yourself into the action of these epic showdowns—since that heart-pounding last stretch never gets old.

Derby 1981

admin August 18, 2025

“Where is Shergar?” read the headline in the ‘Daily Express’ on February 10, 1983, the morning after Shergar, the 1981 Derby winner, was spirited away from the Ballymany Stud in Co. Kildare, never to be seen again. No-one has ever officially claimed reponsibility for his kidnapping, although suspicion fell on the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at the height of the Troubles, and his remains have never been found.

On the racecourse, Shergar enjoyed his finest hour – or finest 2 minutes and 44.21 seconds, to be exact – on the undulations of Epsom Downs on June 3, 1981. Owned by Prince Karim al-Husseini, the late Aga Khan IV, and trained by Michael (later Sir Michael) Stoute, Shergar had won both the Sandown Classic Trial and the Chester Vase by wide margins on his two previous starts and was fully expected to win the Derby, being sent off 10/11 favourite in a field of 18 runners.

Nevertheless, his performance at Epsom was nothing less than jaw-dropping. Well placed from the start, Shergar moved sweetly into the lead at the top of the home straight, and when asked for an effort by 19-year-old Walter Swinburn – having his first ride in the Derby – so opened up a clear lead. With still over a furlong left to run, BBC Radio 2 commentator Peter Bromley was already in raptures, exclaiming, “There’s only one horse in it! You need a telescope to see the rest!”

In the closing stages, Swinburn looked over both shoulders, more than once, for non-existent dangers and even had time to give Shergar a pat on the neck as he eased down some distance from the winning post. Even so, the winning margin, of 10 lengths was, and still is, the widest in the history of the Epsom Classic. For the record, Glint Of Gold finished second, and Scintillating Air third, beaten a further two lengths.

Handicap, Southwell, February 4, 2021

admin July 13, 2025

The Ladbrokes Watch Racing Online For Free Handicap, run over six furlongs on Fibresand at Southwell on February 4, 2021, was a modest, if competitive, Class 6 affair, restricted to three-year-olds rated 0-65, but nonetheless produced a remarkable result. The winner was Desert Boots, trained by Mark Johnston and ridden by apprentice Andrew Breslin, who was claiming 5lb. The Belardo gelding was easy to back beforehand, drifting to 5/1 third-favourite at the ‘off’ from an opening price of 7/2, and easier still in running, for reasons that will become obvious.

Drawn in stall five of 12, Desert Boots was bumped at the start by the eventual second, Silver Nemo, leaving him, as commentator Stuart Machin put it, “firmly on the back foot”. Ridden immediately, he was outpaced and left well behind in the first half of the race but, to his credit, Breslin kept pushing away. Passing the three-furlong marker, Desert Boots started to make some headway, latching onto the back of the field, and continued his progress, seemingly unnoticed by Machin, who called him “in rear” approaching the two-furlong marker, when he was, in fact, anything but.

Indeed, it was not until well inside the final furlong that Machin noticed Desert Boots “running on strongly from off the pace on the far side”, by which time he was already a length in front. Machin did describe the action accurately when he said, “It’s Desert Boots, from last to first, who’s come storming through to take this; Desert Boots, in the end a shady cosily.” Once in front, Desert Boots never looked like being beaten, keeping on strongly in the closing stages to win, going away, by 1¼ lengths.

Reflecting on his first, seemingly unlikely, winner at Southwell – Desert Boots had been matched at 460/1 on Betfair in running – Breslin said, “Desert Boots didn’t travel great, but just about kept tabs on them early. The trip was on the short side for him, but it opened up nicely on the far rail and he was always going to do his best in the closing stages.”

Gordon Carter Handicap, September 28, 1996

admin July 13, 2025

On September 23, 1995, Fujiyama Crest, trained by Michael (later Sir Michael) Stoute and ridden by Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori, made all the running to win the Gordon Carter Handicap by three lengths, at odds of 8/1, off a handicap mark of 79. The following year, on September 28, 1996, he lined up again, off a handicap mark of 86 but, despite not having won in five starts in the interim – and, in fact, having finished tailed off in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle on his most recent outing – was sent off 2/1 favourite. He justified favouritism, too, having been available at 20/1 in the morning, thereby allowing Dettori to complete what became known as his ‘Magnificent Seven’.

The Gordon Carter Handicap was, of course, the seventh and final race at the Festival of British Racing – a forerunner of British Champions’ Day – at Ascot. On that fateful day, Dettori rode all seven winners, Wall Street, Diffident, Mark Of Esteem, Decorated Hero, Lochangel, Fatefully and the aforementioned Fujiyama Crest at cumulative odds of 25,051-1, even at starting price (SP), and nearly ten times those odds at the prices available in the morning. The ‘Magnificent Seven’ reportedly cost high-street bookmakers in excess of £40 million and Dettori said later, “…wherever I went, in every part of the country, I had so many people coming up to me who’d won so much money on that day, and it changed people’s lives, so it’s a very amazing thing.” Joiner Darren Yates, for example, won an eyewatering £550,823 for his £62 stake.

Dettori later confessed that he did not give Fujiyama Crest much of a chance but, with the weight of expectation on his shoulders, set out to make all, as he had the year before. He did just that, but only just; Northern Fleet, trained by Guy Harwood and ridden by Pat Eddery, closed to within a neck at the line, but Fujiyama Crest had done enough to win, albeit all out.

Gold Cup, June 20, 2013

admin July 13, 2025

A prestigious Group 1 contest, run over the marathon distance of two and a half miles on the third day of Royal Ascot, a.k.a. ‘Ladies Day’, the Gold Cup is the oldest race run at the Royal Meeting. The Gold Cup was first run in 1807, with King George III and Queen Charlotte in attendance, and in its long, illustrious history has been won by some of the finest specialist stayers ever to grace the turf. The roll of honour includes the likes of Sagaro, who won back-to-back renewals in 1975, 1976 and 1977, Stradivarius, who did likewise in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and Yeats, described by jockey Johnny Murtagh as the “ultimate heavyweight champion” after winning the Gold Cup four years running, in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

The 2013 renewal of the Gold Cup was memorable for the fact that, for the first time in over two centuries, it was won by a horse owned by the reigning monarch. That horse was, of course, Estimate, a four-year-old mare owned by Queen Elizabeth II and trained by Sir Michael Stoute. Already a Royal Ascot winner, having easily justified favouritism in the Group 3 Queen’s Vase in 2012, Estimate did so again in the Group 3 Sagaro Stakes, also at Ascot, on the first start of her four-year-old campaign and was consequently sent off favourite for the Gold Cup.

Ridden by her regular jockey, Ryan Moore, but making her first foray beyond two miles, and into Group 1 company, Estimate was driven into the lead with a furlong to run. She was hard pressed by the eventual second and third, Simenon and Top Trip, but despite edging left under pressure, held on gamely in the closing stages to beat that pair by a neck and a length. The Gold Cup trophy is traditionally presented to the winning owner by the reigning monarch, but as, on this occasion, those two were one and the same, the Queen was instead presented with the trophy by Prince Andrew, Duke of York.