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Horse Racing in the United KingdomWhile Thoroughbred Racing was established as far back as the Ancient Greeks, the origins of modern racing developed in the UK with the introduction of Arab stallions brought back from the Crusades in the 12th Century. The next significant step towards professional racing was 6 centuries later with race courses becoming established throughout the country and the setting up of the great classic races - the St Leger (1776),the Oaks (1779), the Derby (1780), the 2,000 Guineas (1809) and the 1,000 Guineas (1814).The UK Jockey Club was the first governing body for the sport as we know it today, founded in the 1750's.The British Horseracing Board became the governing body in 1993, though the Jockey club still has an important role in English racing. Other pages to consider on SportsVL
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The Stud Book To safeguard the pedigrees of these animals, James Weatherby published the first General Stud Book in 1791 "To rescue the Turf from the increasing evil of false and inaccurate Pedigrees"
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UK Horse racingCalendars of Horse Racing in the UK
Horse Racing Organisational Bodies in the UKThe UK Jockey Club was the first governing body for the sport as we know it today, founded in the 1750's.The British Horseracing Board became the governing body in 1993, though the Jockey club still has an important role in English racing.
EventsFlat Racing Flat racing reaches its peak in the Summer and Autumn and features The Five UK Classics (2000 Guineas, 1000 Guineas, , and ) as well as a number of major meetings such as Royal Ascot featuring some of the world's most valuable thoroughbreds. The Racecourse Association
Glorious Goodwood
1000 Guineas and 2000 Guineas Both races are run in May at Newmarket, Suffolk over the Rowley Mile Course (named after King Charles II "Old Rowley" who founded the course in 1660). The 1000 guineas is the first major flat race of the season.
Epsom Oaks Run for three year old fillies in June on the Epsom Downs, over a distance of 1 mile 4 furlongs over the same course as the Derby. Both the Oaks and Derby were introduced by Edward Smith Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby, in 1779. The Oaks was named after his estate. See WikipediaEpsom Derby Run in June for three-year-old colts and fillies at Epsom Downs as one part of the Triple Crown (along with the 2000 Guineas and St Leger Stakes)
St Leger A race of just under 3km for 3-year old colts and fillies run in September at Doncaster, on the Town Moor Racecourse - the last of the 5 classics and the final leg of the Triple Crown. It is the oldest Classic Flat race, first run in 1776
Royal Ascot
National Hunt Racing Racing over hurdles or jumps, mostly in the winter period. Typically broken down into Point to Point and Steeplechasing.Point-to-Point Regarded as the amateur version of Steeplechasing Hurdling being the the least severe, using movable fences.
Steeplechasing "Steeplechasing has its roots in "pounding matches" held in Ireland in the late 17th century; matches held across haphazardly chosen country until the loser was "pounded" into the ground by being out-lasted by the winner, or fell. Horses were typically heavy animals who could handle rough ground, stay, and jump..". Read on from Thoroughbred Heritage. It is now used to describe distance horse race with diverse fence and ditch obstacles; the most famous events in the UK are Cheltenham Gold Cup (Cheltenham, March), the Grand National (Aintree, April), Gold Cup (Sandown, April), Hennessey Gold Cup (Newbury, Nov), King George VI ( Kempton, Boxing Day)
Cheltenham Festival Held in March, this four-day event is the equivalent in National Hunt Racing to the World Cup in Soccer. There are over 20 races, including 12 Grade One races with the major race being the Cheltenham Gold Cup. More from Wikipedia
The Grand National Aintree - Home of the Grand National. This historic race, dating from 1836, is probably the most popular race in the UK, both for regular horse race fans and for those who normally do not show any interest in the sport. The 4.5 mile course has 16 fences, 14 of them being jumped twice and includes drop fences, where the landing side of the fence is lower than the take off side. For more detail of the background history and past winners, see Wikipedia
Lincoln Handicap (transferred to Doncaster from Lincoln Racecourse when it closed in 1964)
Windsor Windsor operates 28 race meetings between April and December on the only flat figure-of-8 course in the country (although Fontwell has a jumping figure-of-8 course). The Windsor track is 1 mile 4.5 furlongs.
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RacecoursesRacecourses in the UK
Ascot Ascot has connections way back to the early 1700's, when Queen Anne converted a broad flat field near Eascote 'Eastern Cottage' (now Ascot), just south of Windsor Castle and held the first race "Her Majesty's Plate," with a purse of 100 guineas in 1711. It developed into the most popular course in the time of King George in the 1760's. Significant development too place in the 19th Century. Since 1945, more races have been introduced , with twenty-five days of racing now taking place - sixteen Flat meetings (May and October), and nine National Hunt meetings (November to April). The main event is The Royal Meeting, held in June. It is currently being refurbished.
Cheltenham The course is located on the outskirts of the town in the suburb of Prestbury, It is often called the 'home of National Hunt racing', mostly because it hosts the important four day Cheltenham Festival, featuring the Cheltenham Gold Cup, held in March of each year.
Doncaster The Town Moor course at Doncaster is about 1 mile 7.5 furlongs and is a fairly flat, left-handed, pear-shaped track used for both flat and National Hunt racing. The season kicks off in March, but the most notable races, including the Group 1 races St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy, are in the later months of September and October. More from Wikipedia
Newbury Newbury Map Celebrated its Centenary in 2005, though moved to its current site on the south-east side of Newbury, in 1910. It has both flat and National Hunt (11 fences on the inside of the Flat track, two of which are open ditches) courses, both of which are left-handed and about 1m 7 furlongs long, with some slight undulations on the long finishing straight. It has over 30 days of quality racing, of which the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup and the Juddmonte Lockinge, Ladies Day in August are the most prestigious.
Newmarket King George II founded meetings at Newmarket as early as 1660 and the Rowley Mile course, home to two of the 5 classic Races (1000 and 2000 Guineas) is named after him. it is the home of the National Stud and the National Horse Racing Museum. For more detail see the history from official Newmarket site
Sandown Park Sandown Park lies 15 miles southwest of London just off the A307 in the town of Esher in Surrey. It stages 26 races throughout the year, including both flat and jump events. Home of the King George VI Chase.
Uttoxeter Racing in the area of Stoke on Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme took place as early as 1720. In the nineteenth century a range of venues included Lamberts Park Farm, Rocester, Bramshall, Stafford, Stone and Pottery. By the 1890's only the Bramshall meeting survived but faded away to be replaced by an ambitious project at Keele Park, the estate of Ralph Sneyd. Keele Park opened in 1895 but closed by 1906.Following the demise of Keele park a new racecourse company was established and a course was built at Uttoxeter beside the river Dove. The first meeting was staged in May 1907 (Information courtesy of Uttoxeter Race Course; more information)
Wetherby Wetherby map Situated alongside the A1 in Wetherby, with a state-of-the-art Wetherby Millennium Stand was opened in February 2000, this course is regarded as the 'Cheltenham of the north'. It is a National Hunt course only with two options - a left-handed oval circuit of 1m 4 furlongs with with easy bends or an older tight, left-handed Hurdle Course. Its history goes back at least to 1891, with an older record of racing at nearby Clifton Moor in 1683.
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