There are 59 racecourses across England, Scotland and Wales, and a further 26 on the island of Ireland. I have spent years returning to them — not to complete the list, but to experience them on race days, when the racecourse comes fully alive.

 

My father was a jockey, so racecourses were never unfamiliar places. Over time, I found myself returning to them — not just out of familiarity, but out of curiosity about what was really happening around me.

 

From the paddock to the start, through the race itself and into the winner’s enclosure, each stage reveals something. Horses, jockeys, trainers, owners and spectators are all reading signals, making decisions and adjusting in real time.

 

What began as time spent around racing gradually connected to other parts of my life. The same patterns — reading situations, committing under uncertainty, adapting as conditions change — were present in innovation as much as on the course.

 

Drawing became part of that process. It offered a way to slow these moments down, to observe more carefully, and to make sense of what was happening.

 

This gallery records moments from those racecourse visits. At the time of writing, only five remain to be experienced on a race day.