Category Archives: Racecourses

The Newbury racecourse is regarded one of the most prestigious racing venues in the United Kingdom. It is located in Newbury, England. Being situated near the main rail line with its own stop a mile away from Newbury and just 60 miles from London, it is easily accessible to many people. The track is mainly used for flat races and jumps, with races held throughout the year. The flats season begin on 20th April. It hosts a total of 31 fixtures every year. Newbury racecourse was opened up officially in 26th September 1905, with its most notable races being Lockinge Stakes, Hennessy Gold Cup and Challow Novices’ Hurdle.

In the year 1805 was when the first recorded race took place in the racecourse. This meeting took place every year in Newbury, until 1811 when it changed its venue to Wood hay Heath. The racecourse stayed dormant for 90 years following a proposal by John Porter to set up a new racecourse at Newbury. After the proposal had failed, the Newbury Racecourse Company was formed in 1904, after which it bought land and began the construction of stables all summing up to a cost of 57,240 Euros. In 1906, a nine-day race meeting was planned. Six days were dedicated
to flat racing, while three days to National Hunt racing.

This year, the racecourse’s calendar is full of activities as it is set to hold a significant number of fixtures. Some of them have already taken place, for example the Be wiser Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, took place in 24th March 2018 where Oistrakh Noir emerged the winner. On the 19th of May will be the Al Shaqab Lockinge Day, with tickets going for 28.80 Euros for the premier enclosure and 20.80 Euros for the grandstand enclosure. This event entails a
wide range of outdoor and indoor activities, with lots of food and drinks. There is an ample parking space, with an individual parking space for each enclosure.

Huntingdon racecourse is a horse racing track located in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. It is a thoroughbred track, well known for hosting National Hunt races. The racecourse is owned and managed by the Jockey Club Racecourses. It has been voted for a number of times as the best small racecourse in East Anglia and the South Midlands. Being located in a strategic place near where the A1 and A14 converge, the racecourse is convenient to many people, attracting huge crowds of people to its race meetings. It hosts a total of 17 fixtures each year, over a period of nine months. The most anticipated day in Huntingdon’s calendar is the Traditional Boxing Day meeting, which usually attracts thousands of people each year.

The racecourse has excellent hospitality facilities, making the stay of its visitors comfortable. The Peterborough restaurant is well known for its excellent dining services. Huntingdon provides free entertainment for children during Bank Holiday meetings that take place every Sunday. With the company of a paying adult, those under the age of 18 years are admitted free of charge. Adults aged 18 to 24 years can always register for discounted admissions into the racecourse.

The most notableraces held at Huntingdon are the Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle and the Peterborough chase. The Sidney Banks Memorial hurdle is for horses at the age of  four years and above. It is run over  3,947 metres, and takes place every February. The race was inaugurated in 1976. The Peterborough on the other hand is a grade 2 race run over 4,124 meters with the jumping of sixteen hurdles. It allows in competitors aged four years and above and takes place every December. It first took place in 1969.

Apart from being a horse racing venue, the racecourse is also a wedding, exhibitions, conference and car boot sales venue. This is mainly due to its convenient location and state-of-the-art facilities.

The Great Yarmouth racecourse is a flat thoroughbred racetrack located towards the north of Great Yarmouth. It is not very far from the beach, taking only a few minutes’ walk to get there. It is a very important racing venue since it features a straight line mile. This makes it more unique as not many racecourses in the country feature this kind of
race. The racecourse is owned by Arena Racing Company. It is known to host a total of 23 race meetings annually.

The first race to be held at Great Yarmouth first took place in the year 1715. Prior to the race meetings, an array of events used to take place in the racecourse. This included donkey races and chasing pigs with a soaped tail. It was until 1810 when the racecourse started holding thoroughbred races, and by the end of 1866, the number of races held in the track had increased significantly in number. During the World War 1, races were suspended indefinitely but resumed after a couple of years. In the year 1920, the racecourse changed its location to North Denes. This was due to the constant pressure they received from the fishing industry, who sought to expand their territories deep into South Denes.

John Musker Fillies’ Stakes is the most popular race run in the racecourse. It usually takes place in September, and is run over a mile and a quarter. This year, the Great Yarmouth is set to hold a total of 23 fixtures, starting from April all through to October. The car boot sale is scheduled for every Sunday from the 1st of April to the end of October. Gates will be opening at 7 am while races start at 12 noon. On Saturday the 5th of May will be the Murder Mystery
Evening, hosted by lord and lady Beauregarde. This will be a ladies dinner out.

Epsom Downs is one of the racecourses in England with a long history that dates back centuries. The racecourse is
situated at Epsom in Surrey, England. It is a thoroughbred racecourse which hosts exciting race meetings known to be show stoppers throughout the country. The Downs’ attached to the name refer to the North Downs extending from Farnham to Kent. The Northern Downs are part of what makes the racecourse such a pleasant place to be thanks to the scenic views.

Horse racing has been held at Epsom Downs from the 1640s. Since then, horse racing has become one of the most important events in this part of the country. The two most anticipated race meetings are known as The Derby which is one of the finest displays of thoroughbred horse racing in the United Kingdom. The Derby is a race for colts and fillies three years old which is run for about a mile and a half. The Coronation Cup is also held here and accepts horses aged four years and above. The other notable race held here is the Oaks Stakes known popularly as The Oaks which is a race for three year old fillies. The three races which are all Group 1 races use the same course and are run over the same distance.

Epsom Downs is run by the Jockey Club. The racecourse has enjoyed close ties with British royalty since the early days of horse racing which continues to date. In 2011Prince William, Duke of Cambridge accompanied by his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge as well as the Queen, Prince Harry and Michael and Carole Middleton attended The Derby which is known to attract large crowds.

Aside from the exciting horseracing that takes place at the Epsom Downs, the venue also hosts family fun days and is
ideal for small scale and medium scale events. Food and hospitality services are of top-notch quality and so is the service at Epsom Downs.