This page covers the many horse race courses and major races mentioned in the works of PGW. All are real places unless otherwise stated.
In general, any reference to the races, racing, course or race course means horse racing unless qualified by 'motor', 'cycle' etc.* There are so many references to courses in Wodehouse's books that I have not attempted to list each book or story against them in the list below. There are many other courses in England (and Wales and Scotland) but they are not mentioned by PG so not included here.
All these courses were, and most still are, exclusively turf of varying firmness throughout the season. They also have non-oval shapes and many are undulating. Thus some courses would suit some horses more than others - 'horses for courses' - far more than where oval all-weather track racing is prevalent.
| Course | Notes |
| Aintree | Near Liverpool, it opened in 1829 with its most famous race, the Grand National steeplechase, starting only ten years later. |
| Alexandra Park | Also known as Alexandra Palace course and affectionately as 'Ally Pally'. Open from 1868 to 1970 and situated in Muswell Hill, North London. |
| Ascot | In Berkshire, south of Windsor and east of Bracknell. Open from 1711. The Royal Ascot meeting in June features the Gold Cup and is famous for Ladies Day when racing takes second place to fashion. |
| Bridgeford | Fictional course near Blandings. |
| Catterick | In North Yorkshire, also known as Catterick Bridge. Holds races all year round. |
| Doncaster | In South Yorkshire, its best known race is the St. Leger. |
| Epsom Downs | Often known simply as Epsom. In Surrey and famous for the world's most prestigious race, the Derby. |
| Fakenham | Norfolk. The course opened 1905 but the grandstand only opened in 1953. It only has a handful of meetings per year, possibly due to being 22 miles from the nearest railway station. (It appears in the story Jeeves and the Old School Chum disguised as Lakenham races - a mix of Lakenheath and Fackenham.) |
| Gatwick | Sussex/Surrey border. Operated from 1891 to around 1956 when it closed with the expansion of Gatwick Airport. |
| Goodwood | Sussex, overlooking Chichester. Sited in a natural amphitheatre, racing started in 1801. For most of its history it had just one meeting per year but has expanded since the 1950's to 22 meetings in 2007. 'Glorious Goodwood' is still the main meeting, as much a social event as racing, held in high summer (31 July to 4 August in 2007). |
| Haydock Park | In Lancashire, roughly halfway between Liverpool and Manchester. |
| Hurst Park | In Molesley, Surrey until 1962 when it was closed and sold for housing development. |
| Kempton Park | Surrey, since 1878 and currently (2007) under refurbishment. It is best known race is the King George VI on Boxing Day (December 26th). |
| Lewes | Sussex. It closed in 1964 but it's planned to re-open it with an all-weather facility. Lewes' claim to fame is a three-way dead heat in the five furlong Astley Stakes of 1880 with another dead heat for fourth place. |
| Lincoln | Closed 1964. Best known for the Lincoln Handicap - which is now run at Doncaster. |
| Lingfield Park | Surrey. |
| Newmarket | Suffolk. Known as 'The Home of Racing', its first recorded race was in 1622 with the first grandstand being built by James 1. Its best known races are the 2000 Guineas and 1000 Guineas plus the Town Plate; the latter being the oldest under written rules, raced annually since 1665. |
| Plumpton | Sussex, since 1884 (although previously used for hare coursing). |
| Sandown | Also known as Sandown Park. Near Esher in Surrey, from 1875, it was the first course in England purpose built as an enclosed course. |
The following major races are mentioned in PG's books. It is not a list of all big races in the UK and uses the names that Wodehouse would have recognised, that is I have omitted more recent changes such as the addition of a sponsor's name.
| Race | Notes |
| Ascot Gold Cup | A major race run at Ascot in June over 2 miles and 4 furlongs. It is for horses of 3 years old and upwards and was first run in 1807. |
| Cambridgeshire Handicap | A classic race run at Newmarket, in late September to early October, over the unusual distance of 9 furlongs. The first was in 1839. |
| Cesarewitch Handicap | A flat race over 2 miles and 2 furlongs, run at Newmarket. Dating from 1839 it is the second half of the 'Autumn Double', the first being the Cambridgeshire. |
| City and Suburban Handicap | A handicap for 4 year olds and upwards, run over 1 mile and 2 furlongs at Epsom in April. |
| The Derby | The premier race for three year olds, run over 1 mile and 4 furlongs at Epsom in June. It was first raced in 1780. |
| Goodwood Cup | A handicap race over 2 miles, 5 furlongs for 3yr olds and upwards. Run since 1812 in July. |
| Jubilee Handicap | Originally a mile and a quarter (reduced to a mile in 1979) handicap for three-year olds and upwards, and run at Kempton Park in May since 1887. It is no longer a prestige race. |
| Lincolnshire | Or Lincoln Handicap, raced over 1 mile at Doncaster in early March/April. First run in 1858 it moved to Doncaster in 1965 when the Lincoln racecourse closed. |
| Manchester November Handicap | Raced over 1 mile 4 furlongs from 1876 and scheduled for the last day of the flat season. It transferred to Doncaster in 1964 after the Manchester course closed. (PG does not mention the Manchester course.) |
| The Oaks | The Epsom Oaks Stakes, first run in 1779. It is currently run over 1 mile 4 furlongs and is for three-year old fillies. |
| One Thousand Guineas | A one mile race for three-year old fillies run at Newmarket in May since 1814. |
| Two Thousand Guineas | A one mile race for three-year olds run at Newmarket in May since 1809. |
NB: a furlong is one eighth of a mile or 220 yards (around 200m).