Hereford Racecourse

Last updated

Hereford
Hereford Racecourse logo.png
Hereford Racecourse logo
Location Hereford, Herefordshire, England
Coordinates 52°04′23″N2°43′44″W / 52.073°N 2.729°W / 52.073; -2.729
Owned by Herefordshire Council
Operated by Arena Racing Company
Screened on Sky Sports Racing
Course type National Hunt
Official website
Hereford Racecourse Hereford Racecourse - geograph.org.uk - 11229.jpg
Hereford Racecourse

Hereford Racecourse is a horse racing venue located in Hereford, Herefordshire, England, owned by Herefordshire Council and operated by Arena Racing Company.

Contents

The course is almost square in shape with a circuit of about a mile-and-a-half. [1] The first recorded race meeting was held in August 1771. [2] The course was greatly modernised in the 1960s, [1] with also in 1966 a photo-finish camera being installed. [1]

Having failed to obtain a new lease from the Herefordshire Council, Arena Racing Company ceased operations there in December 2012. [3] with the final Thoroughbred race meeting being held on 16 December 2012. [4] This ended over 240 years of racing at the course. [2] It continued to be used for Arabian racing. [5] It was also used by the North Herefordshire Hunt for a point to point in May 2014, two point to points in 2015, and also in 2016 when point to points were staged by the North Ledbury in April and the North Herefordshire Hunt at the end of May.

The course reopened for National Hunt racing on 6 October 2016, with 3 other fixtures also scheduled. [6] [2] The reopening fixture was attended by a crowd of 4,500, with Rather Be, trained by Nicky Henderson winning the first race, ridden by Andrew Tinkler. [2]

In 2017 the course staged 11 National Hunt Fixtures spread between January and March and October to December. The North Herefordshire Hunt and Ledbury Point to Points were due to be staged at the course in the spring of 2017 but both were abandoned after an exceptionally dry spring led to unsafe hard ground. Two National Hunt meetings in the autumn of 2017 were transferred to Worcester after a dry late summer and autumn coupled with an inability to sufficiently water the course meant the ground was too hard to ensure safe racing ground.

In 2018 the track was allocated 11 days racing and picked up an extra day in April after several meetings around the country were cancelled due to the exceptionally wet and cold spring. The North Ledbury Point to Point was held in April. That was the only Point to Point held at the course following the decision of the North Herefordshire Hunt to switch venues after the cancellation of their 2017 meeting. The North Ledbury Hunt did use the course again in 2019 however no Point to Point Racing now takes place at the racecourse and both Hunts no longer hold a Point to Point meeting. [ citation needed ][ needs update ]

In August 2018 construction of a reservoir in the centre of the course commenced. This will enable the track to be watered without relying on a limited supply from a shared borehole. Use of the reservoir commenced in 2019.

Hereford's racing season runs from October to April. There are 15 fixtures in 2024.

Other sporting events

In 1978 the racecourse hosted the final of Motorcycle's European Grasstrack Championship.[ citation needed ] A cricket ground which has hosted first-class cricket lies within the racecourse. [7]

There is a sports centre on the east side of the course accessed off the A49 and some of the outdoor sports facilities are in the centre of the track.

There is a golf course located in the centre of the track.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ledbury</span> Town in Herefordshire, England

Ledbury is a market town and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and west of the Malvern Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herefordshire</span> County of England

Herefordshire is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire and Powys to the west. The city of Hereford is the largest settlement and the county town.

National Hunt racing is a form of horse racing particular to France, Great Britain, and Ireland, that requires horses to jump fences and ditches. In the UK it is divided into two major distinct branches, hurdling and steeplechase, as well as flat races called "bumpers". Hurdling involved the horses jumping over obstacles called hurdles, whereas in a steeplechase the horses jump over a variety of obstacles that can include plain fences, water jump or an open ditch. In the UK, the biggest National Hunt events of the year are generally considered to be the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ascot Racecourse</span> Horse racing venue in England

Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races and three Grade 1 Jumps races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aintree Racecourse</span> Horse racing venue in Liverpool, England

Aintree Racecourse is a racecourse in Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, bordering the city of Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase, which takes place annually in April over three days. Aintree also holds meetings in May, October (Sunday), November and December.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colwall</span> Civil parish in Herefordshire, England

Colwall is a civil parish in Herefordshire, England, situated on the border with Worcestershire, nestling on the western side of the Malvern Hills at the heart of the AONB. Areas of the village are known as Colwall Stone, Upper Colwall which shares a common border at the Wyche Cutting with the Malvern suburb of Malvern Wells, and Colwall Green, spread along 2 miles (3.2 km) of the B4218 road, with the historic village core being 1 mile (1.6 km) to the west of Colwall Stone.

Warwick Racecourse is a horse racing course in Warwick, England. It is a National Hunt racing course and has a programme of 25 meetings throughout the year, many of which are televised. The first stand was built in 1808, and its most recent redevelopment was completed in 2018. In the racecourse is a nine-hole golf course and a golf driving range. The area is a popular place for local people to walk their dogs. There is parking next to the course and it is a five-minute walk away from the town centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kempton Park Racecourse</span> Horse racing venue in England

Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, near the border with Greater London; it is 13 miles west of Charing Cross in central London. The site has 210 acres of flat grassland surrounded by woodland with two lakes in its centre. Its entrance borders Kempton Park railway station which was created for racegoers on a branch line from London Waterloo, via Clapham Junction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wetherby Racecourse</span> Racecourse (equine) in Yorkshire, England

Wetherby Racecourse is a racecourse situated near the market town of Wetherby in West Yorkshire, England, located 12 miles (19 km) from Leeds city centre. For most of its history the course has hosted only National Hunt racing but staged its first Flat racing fixture in April 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racecourse Ground, Hereford</span>

The Racecourse Ground is a cricket ground in Hereford. The ground is located inside Hereford Racecourse and is the only remaining former first-class cricket venue in England which lies inside a racecourse. It played host to first-class and List A cricket matches for Worcestershire County Cricket Club between 1919 and 1988, and minor counties matches for Herefordshire County Cricket Club from 1992 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folkestone Racecourse</span>

Folkestone Racecourse was a thoroughbred horse racing venue in southeast England, until it closed in 2012. It is located in Westenhanger, by junction 11 of the M20 motorway and about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Folkestone. The course remains closed and all running rail and steeplechase fences have been removed. In May 2016 it was revealed that the land covered by the racecourse forms part of a plan to develop and build housing. It is now unkempt and in a state of disrepair.

Chelmsford City racecourse, originally known as Great Leighs Racecourse, is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Great Leighs near Braintree, Essex, England. When it opened in April 2008, it was the first entirely new racecourse in the UK since Taunton opened in 1927. It went into administration in January 2009, and racing did not resume until January 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musselburgh Racecourse</span>

Musselburgh Racecourse is a horse racing venue located in the Millhill area of Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, UK, close to the River Esk. It is the second biggest racecourse in Scotland and is the fourteenth biggest in the UK. In 2016, Musselburgh staged 28 fixtures. It was officially known as "Edinburgh Racecourse", and referred to as such in the English press, until the beginning of 1996 but was widely referred to as "Musselburgh" in Scotland long before that and was widely referred to as Musselburgh in the racing pages of Scottish newspapers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottingham Racecourse</span>

Nottingham Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated at Colwick Park, close to the River Trent and about 3 km east of the city centre.

Sedgefield Racecourse is an English left-handed horse racing course, used for jump racing. It is owned by Arena Racing Company and located close to the town of Sedgefield, County Durham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcester Racecourse</span>

Worcester Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in the city of Worcester, Worcestershire, England. Horse racing has taken place here since at least 1718. It staged Flat racing until 1966 but has since staged National Hunt racing only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derby Racecourse</span>

Derby Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Derby, England, from 1848 to 1939. It was preceded by two earlier courses, at different locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckfastleigh Racecourse</span>

Buckfastleigh Racecourse was a British horse racing venue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colwall Park Racecourse</span> British horse racing venue

Colwall Park Racecourse was a British horse racing venue which operated from 1900 to 1939. It was known as one of England’s prettiest racecourses.

Newport Racecourse, also known as Caerleon Racecourse, was a horse racing venue located at Caerleon, near Newport, Wales which staged National Hunt racing from the 1840s until its closure in 1948.

References

  1. 1 2 3 British Racing and Racecourses ( ISBN   978-0950139722) by Marion Rose Halpenny - Page 145
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Hereford: Horse racing returns after four-year absence following closure". BBC. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  3. ↑ Telegraph Sport, "Hereford and Folkestone racecourses forced to close down" The Telegraph, 27/07/2012
  4. ↑ "Hereford Racecourse stages its final meeting". BBC News. 16 December 2012.
  5. ↑ "Arabian raceday draws decent Hereford crowd". Racing Post . 6 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "Hereford racecourse: Owners ARC to reopen venue". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  7. ↑ Powell, William (1989). The Wisden Guides To Cricket Grounds. London: Stanley Paul & Co. Ltd. pp. 354–7. ISBN   009173830X.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.