The Ipswich Racecourse is an area of Ipswich in Suffolk, England, that was formerly a racecourse from 1710 to 1911.
The Ipswich Racecourse is an area of Ipswich in Suffolk, England, that was formerly a racecourse from 1710 to 1911.
The course was on what was part of the then Nacton Heath which at the time was just east of Ipswich, [1] now in Priory Heath Ward, Ipswich. It was 1 mile and 7 furlongs in circumference [2] and ran along the line of the modern Lindberg Road, Cobham Road, parallel to Felixstowe Road as far the modern Hatfield Road before a six furlong finish straight running parallel to Nacton Road to complete the loop.
The earliest mention of annual race meetings in Ipswich was 1710 when a Town Purse was run for by "high mettled racers". [2]
A Royal Plate provided as a prize from 1727 which gave the meetings good support for the next half a century, with the Ipswich Journal running an advertisement for:
Popularity declined slightly until the garrison came to Ipswich in the early 19th century where the officers brought their support to the races.
The course ran a mix of flat and hunt racing, although the last flat race was in 1884 following the withdrawal of the Queen's Plate. From then, it became exclusively a National Hunt course.
The hurdles were unpopular with jockeys and horses alike which, although built to National Hunt rules, lacked wings, which increased the risk of the horses running out unless the jockey approached the centre of the hurdle.
The last race meeting was 29 March 1911 after support had fallen steadily.
The area is now part of a large 1930s housing estate. The Racecourse Recreation Ground comprises a sports area, children's play area and public toilets.
The Racecourse Pub (on Nacton Road) reputedly stood on the site of the finishing line. In 2009 the Racecourse went bankrupt and was demolished later in the year. A Tesco Express and five homes now occupy the site, which was completed in early 2010.
National Hunt racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to France, Great Britain and Ireland, that requires horses to jump over fences and ditches.
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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.
York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350,000 racegoers per year and stages three of the UK's 36 annual Group 1 races – the Juddmonte International Stakes, the Nunthorpe Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks.
Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the Lockinge Stakes.
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Cheltenham Racecourse at Prestbury Park, near Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England, hosts National Hunt horse racing. Racing at Cheltenham took place in 1815, but comprised only minor flat races on Nottingham Hill. The first racing on Cleeve Hill was on Tuesday 25 August 1818 when the opening race was won by Miss Tidmarsh, owned by Mr E Jones. It was a year later when the results were printed in the Racing Calendar when a programme of flat racing was watched by the Duke of Gloucester who donated 100 Guineas to the prize fund. By 1831 races were being staged at Prestbury, although not on the present day course. In 1834 the Grand Annual Steeplechase was run for the first time. In 1839 Lottery won the Grand Annual having previously won the first Aintree Grand National. In 1840 the meeting transferred to Andoversford for a brief period, only to return to Prestbury in 1847. 1902 was a notable year in that racing moved to the present course at Prestbury Park. The new stands were completed in 1914 and the present day Festival races, as we know them, began to take shape. The Cheltenham Gold Cup, over 3 ¼ miles, was run for the first time in 1924, with the Champion Hurdle following in 1927.
Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of British horseracing and is home to the largest cluster of training yards in the country and many key horse racing organisations, including Tattersalls, the National Horseracing Museum and the National Stud. Newmarket hosts two of the country's five Classic Races – the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas, and numerous other Group races. In total, it hosts 9 of British racing's 36 annual Group 1 races.
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John Dupuis Cobbold was a member of the Ipswich-based Cobbold family in England.
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