Three Must-Watch January Racedays To Mark In Your Calendar The cold January blues are lording it over the racing world right now, with jumps racing unlikely to resume before Thursday amid the cold snap. As we await the sport's return, what better time to ponder better days ahead! The festive racing bonanza is in the rear-view mirror now and the spring festivals will start to loom on the horizon. January is typically a busy month with lots of connections eyeing final outings before Cheltenham in March. Here's three racedays worth marking in the calendar during the first month of 2026. Windsor Berkshire Winter Million — Friday January 16- Sunday January 18 Three for the price of one! The Berkshire Winter Million combines three unmissable days of sporting action, entertainment and an atmosphere second-to-none at Windsor and Ascot Racecourses. Three valuable racedays boasting some top-class action allows British jumps racing to gear up for the spring. On day one at Windsor the Fitzdares Sovereign Hurdle is the headline act while on Sunday a quality offering includes the Fleur De Lys Chase headlines. In between, at Ascot, the Grade 1 BetMGM Clarence House Chase is Saturday's major highlight, a contest won by the likes of Master Minded, Sprinter Sacre, Sire De Grugy, Un De Sceaux, Altior, Shishkin and Jonbon. Which of this season's star two-milers will take the prize? Cheltenham Trials Day — Saturday, January 24 The last meeting in the Cotswolds before The Festival itself in March, the Trials Day card has become stronger in recent years. With a now seven-race card, where every race is a trial for a race at the Cheltenham Festival, it is the final opportunity to see some leading protagonists go out to battle on Cheltenham's hallowed turf before the main event. In the recent past the likes of Frodon, Mister Whitaker, Defi Du Seuil and Coo Star Sivola have won on Trials Day before returning to score again in March, while Paisley Park, Lisnagar Oscar and Simply The Betts have pre-empted festival wins by running well here in January. It's the final glimpse of the famous Prestbury Park layout before the tapes go up for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle on March 10 and is a day not to be missed. Sandown Scilly Isles Day — Saturday, January 31 The final day of the month brings with it Sandown's Grade 1 novices' chase on a quality card with nearly £450,000 in prize money on offer. Nicky Henderson has won the Scilly Isles Novices' Chase a record seven times, though not since Terrefort in 2018, while recent scorers include Bristol De Mai, Defi Du Seuil, L'Homme Presse, Gerri Colombe and Handstands in a race that often provides a top-class winner. With some quality races on the card and a £100,000 premier handicap over hurdles for three-milers, Sandown's meeting is laced with quality and it combines for a stunning Saturday afternoon offering alongside day one of the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown. That two-day Irish meeting has become a breeding ground for Cheltenham Festival winners in recent years and will arguably be the most informative afternoon of the season in Ireland before the spring targets.
