Warwick racecourse is located in Hampton Street, Warwick. It is one of England’s most ancient racecourses having been founded in 1808. The racecourse is famous for its National Hunt races, and is owned by Jockey Club Racecourses. Recently, the racecourse experienced major changes as its ancient stalls were demolished to allow the erection of new facilities. A modern nine-hole golf course together with a golf driving range was built to diversify its activities. Next to the racecourse is a parking lot that is just five minutes away from town, making it
easily accessible.
The course used to host both flat racing and National Hunt until the year 2014, when it was forced to drop flat racing after an incident whereby a horse fell at the track. This came in as a disappointment to most people, since a number of flat racing fixtures that had been scheduled to take place in Warwick racecourse were transferred to other racecourses. Its final flat racing was held in 26th August, the same year.
Warwick racecourse has been hosting a total of 25 meetings each year, Leamington Novices’ Hurdle being famous of them all. The race is a Grade 2 National Hunt, and horses five years and above take part in it. It is scheduled for January of every year, has been taking place since 2002. Another race taking place in Warwick racecourse is the classic chase. It is a Grade 3 National Hunt race, and just like the Leamington Novice’s’ it is opened to horses aged 5 years and above. The race is scheduled for January of every year, and is only for the handicapped. It is run over a distance of 5,883 meters with a total of twenty four fences for the horses to jump over. This event was officially introduced in the year 2004, and has since then been happening every year.