Greyhound Racing Events Calendar 2026: Dates, Venues, and Viewing Guide

The greyhound racing events calendar in 2026 stretches from early spring through to the winter finals, with the sport’s biggest competitions spread across tracks from Towcester to Newcastle. As Sarah Newman of Arena Racing Company noted when reviewing 2025 attendance figures, competition for the leisure pound has never been higher, and the fact that greyhound racing grew its footfall regardless reflects the quality of the events on offer.

Unlike horse racing, where the fixture calendar is published as a single comprehensive document months in advance, greyhound racing’s major-event schedule tends to firm up in stages. The headline events — the English Greyhound Derby, the St Leger, the Oaks, the All England Cup — are confirmed well ahead of time. Supporting events, select stakes, and regional competitions are often finalised closer to their dates. This guide covers the confirmed and expected major fixtures for the greyhound racing events calendar in 2026, arranged chronologically so you can plan your viewing — or your visit — around the events that matter most.

Spring: Derby Heats, St Leger, and More

Spring is when the greyhound calendar starts building toward its summer peak. The English Greyhound Derby heats begin in April and May, with early-round qualifiers staged at Towcester before the competition narrows through quarter-finals and semi-finals at the same venue. The heats are not the glamour end of the Derby — the fields include hopeful entries alongside genuine contenders — but they are the broadest part of the competition, and watching the early rounds gives you a sense of which dogs might make the final. Ante-post markets open during this period, and following the early betting adds a thread of narrative to the spring fixtures.

The St Leger, traditionally one of the sport’s Classic competitions, is another spring highlight. Run over a longer distance than the Derby — typically 660 or 710 metres, depending on the host track — the St Leger tests stamina and staying power rather than pure sprint speed. The competition has moved between venues in recent years, but it remains one of the most prestigious titles in greyhound racing. The final is broadcast on Sky Sports Racing, and earlier rounds are available through bookmaker streams.

Spring also brings a number of select stakes and invitation events at individual tracks. These are smaller-scale competitions with shorter qualifying rounds, often limited to dogs trained at the host stadium or within a particular region. They are worth watching for the quality of racing, even if the prize money does not match the Classics. Tracks like Nottingham, Romford, and the new Dunstall Park in Wolverhampton all run spring events that draw competitive fields and offer a preview of which dogs might feature in the bigger competitions later in the year.

Summer and Autumn: Oaks, All England Cup, and the Festival Season

Summer is when the greyhound racing events calendar reaches its peak. The English Greyhound Derby final — the single biggest event of the year — takes place in June at Towcester, with the semi-finals and final broadcast live on Sky Sports Racing. The atmosphere at Towcester on Derby night is the closest greyhound racing gets to a major horse-racing festival, with hospitality packages, large crowds, and national media coverage. The winner takes home a top prize of £175,000 from a total fund of £235,000.

The Premier Greyhound Racing Oaks, the female equivalent of the Derby, runs through the summer months. The 2025 Oaks final at Dunstall Park saw attendance rise by 324% compared to the previous year’s final at Perry Barr — a surge that reflected both the novelty of the new venue and the growing appeal of the event. Expect the 2026 Oaks to attract similar interest, with the competition likely to return to one of the PGR partner tracks.

The All England Cup, held at Newcastle, is the autumn’s headline event. The 2025 edition saw attendance grow by 85% year on year, confirming its status as one of the sport’s most popular fixtures outside of London and the Midlands. The Cup brings top-grade racing to the North East and typically features some of the same dogs that competed in the summer Classics, adding a narrative thread for viewers who have followed the season from the start.

Beyond the headline events, the autumn calendar includes the Calendar Cup, various track championships, and end-of-season competitions at individual venues. Nottingham’s Boxing Day meeting — which drew over 1,000 spectators in 2025 — is technically a winter fixture but is marketed from the autumn onwards and has become a calendar highlight in its own right. It functions as a family-friendly seasonal event, and many attendees now treat it as an annual tradition alongside the more familiar Boxing Day sporting fixtures in football and horse racing.

How to Watch and Follow Major Events from Home or At the Track

Every major event on the greyhound racing events calendar is available to watch through at least one of the main broadcast and streaming platforms. Sky Sports Racing, under the Premier Greyhound Racing deal that launched in January 2024, carries the headline fixtures — Derby, Oaks, All England Cup, St Leger — with full studio coverage, expert analysis, and pre-event build-up. The Red Button channel may carry additional meetings running alongside the main broadcast.

Bookmaker streams — bet365, Betfair, William Hill — typically carry every round of every major competition, making them the broadest access point for viewers who want to follow a tournament from first heat to final. RPGTV on Freeview picks up selected events, though the biggest fixtures sit behind the Sky exclusive.

For attending in person, most tracks sell tickets for major events through their own websites or through the host venue’s booking system. The Derby at Towcester, the Oaks, and the All England Cup all offer restaurant and hospitality packages alongside standard admission. Booking in advance is recommended for finals — these are among the few greyhound events that attract near-capacity crowds. For earlier rounds and regional competitions, walk-up admission is usually available without pre-booking.

Following the calendar throughout the year is easiest through the GBGB website, which publishes fixture dates as they are confirmed, and through Sky Sports Racing’s schedule page, which lists upcoming broadcast events. Bookmaker apps also flag major events in their greyhound sections, often with enhanced market coverage and pre-event analysis. Setting push notifications on the bet365 or ATR app for upcoming greyhound events is a low-effort way to ensure nothing slips past you.

Mark Your Calendar

The greyhound racing events calendar in 2026 offers something for every level of interest. Casual viewers can tune in for the Derby final in June and catch the year’s single most dramatic race. Regular followers can track the Classics from their opening heats through to the finals. And anyone who enjoys the trackside experience can plan visits around the events that draw the biggest crowds and the best atmospheres.

The dates will firm up as the year progresses, but the structure is familiar: spring heats, summer finals, autumn cups, and a Boxing Day crowd to close the year. Keep an eye on the GBGB fixture list and Sky Sports Racing’s schedule, and the greyhound racing events calendar will take care of the rest.