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| Location | Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire |
|---|---|
| Owned by | Jockey Club Racecourses |
| Screened on | Racing TV |
| Course type | National Hunt |
| Notable races | Peterborough Chase |
| Official website | |
Huntingdon Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Brampton near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on a Site of Special Scientific Interest of the original Brampton Racecourse.
The most notable race held at Huntingdon Racecourse is the Peterborough Chase in December.
The first race meeting at Huntingdon Racecourse took place on Easter Monday, 1886. The race was a three mile steeplechase won by a horse named Catherine The Great. In 1920, the racecourse was part of the Huntingdon Steeplechase Group managed by Bob Lenton for 25 years. [1] In 1953, chairman of the committee John Goodcliff managed construction of the grandstand that still stands on the racecourse today. [2]
The Peterborough Chase is Huntingdon's showpiece event and started in 1969. By 1979 it secured its formal name as used today. The race has seen big name winners including Best Mate, Desert Orchid and One Man. [3] Edredon Bleu is the most successful horse in the race, winning four times in a row between 1998 and 2001. [4] [5] Trainer Henrietta Knight saddled 8 winners in the race over 10 years. [6]
Currently the racecourse is owned and operated by The Jockey Club. [7]
Huntingdon Racecourse has been voted Best Small Racecourse in South Midlands and East Anglia by the Racegoers Club twice in 2011 and 2014. [8] [9]
Huntingdon Racecourse only hosts National Hunt races. It is an oval shaped course that runs right-handed. It is notable for its flatness, with few undulations. It is a fast course, however due to its location there can be muddy and testing conditions.
The steeplechase course has nine fences, meanwhile the hurdle course has five on each circuit. The home straight features two fences for each type. Until 2008, Huntingdon featured a water jump. [10]
The land the racecourse is on was originally known as Brampton Racecourse. It is a 21.1-hectare (52-acre) Site of Special Scientific Interest. It sits on the flood plain of Alconbury Brook and has a number of rare species including the largest population of green-winged orchids in the UK. [11] [12]
Over the years, Huntingdon Racecourse has suffered with extensive flooding which has caused a number of race days to be postponed. [13] [14] [15]
| Month | DOW | Race Name | Type | Grade | Distance | Age/Sex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | Thursday | Sidney Banks Memorial Novices' Hurdle | Hurdle | Listed | 2m 3f 110y | 4yo + |
| December | Thursday | Peterborough Chase | Chase | Grade 2 | 2m 4f 110y | 4yo + |
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The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlongs, and during its running there are 22 fences to be jumped. The race takes place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
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 and June, October (Sunday), November and December.
Leicester Racecourse is a horse racing course in Oadby, Leicestershire, about three miles south of the city centre.
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The Queen Mother Champion Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. As part of a sponsorship agreement with the online betting company Betway, the race is now known as the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase. It is run on the Old Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are thirteen fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year during the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Henrietta Catherine Knight is an English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. Knight is best known as a trainer of National Hunt racehorses.
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The Desert Orchid Handicap Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of about 2 miles, and during its running there are twelve fences to be jumped. The race is scheduled to take place each year in late December during the course's Christmas Festival.
Kelso Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Kelso, Scotland. It is frequently described as "Britain's Friendliest Racecourse". It was voted the Best Small Course in Scotland and the North of England in 2007, 2012 and 2014 by the Racegoers Club. In addition to staging Scotland's most valuable hurdle race, the Morebattle Hurdle, Kelso stages a comparatively high number of Class 1, 2 & 3 races over jumps.
The 1838 Grand Liverpool Steeplechase was the last of three unofficial annual precursors of a Handicap Steeple-chase, later to become known as the Grand National Steeplechase horse race which took place at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool on Monday 5 March 1838 and attracted a field of only three runners. This race did not carry the prestige of the future Grand Nationals and its status as an official Grand National was revoked sometime between 1862 and 1873.
The Peterborough Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Huntingdon over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs, and during its running there are sixteen fences to be jumped. The race is currently scheduled in December. In 2019, the race's total prize fund was £65,000.
Bromford Bridge Racecourse was a horse racing course in the Bromford area of Birmingham, England. Its official name was 'Birmingham'. It staged flat and national hunt racing.
Edredon Bleu was an AQPS National Hunt racehorse. He was bred in France but trained for most of his racing career in the United Kingdom. He was a specialist steeplechaser who recorded most of his wins over two and two-and-a-half miles, but was capable of winning major races over longer distances. In a ten-year racing career he ran fifty-seven times and won twenty-five races. His most important successes when winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2000 and the King George VI Chase in 2003.
One Man was an Irish-bred National Hunt steeplechase racehorse sired by Remainder Man out of the mare Steal On. The popular grey won 20 of 35 races, including the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 1998. He was trained by the late Gordon W. Richards and owned by John Hales. Renowned for his jumping ability and high cruising speed, he was nicknamed his "little bouncing ball" by Richards and was adopted by many as the new Desert Orchid. One Man received a Timeform rating of 179, an outstanding figure.
Norton's Coin was a British Thoroughbred racehorse, best known for his 100/1 win in the 1990 Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was an obscurely-bred gelding owned and trained in Wales by Sirrell Griffiths, a dairy farmer who had only two other horses in his stable.
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Horse racing in Ireland is intricately linked with Irish culture and society. The racing of horses has a long history on the island, being mentioned in some of the earliest texts. Domestically, racing is one of Ireland's most popular spectator sports, while on the international scene, Ireland is one of the strongest producers and trainers of Thoroughbred horses. The Irish horse racing industry is closely linked with that of Great Britain, with Irish horses regularly competing and winning on the British racing circuit.
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