Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been mostly unchanged since at least classical antiquity.
Newbury is a market town in the West Berkshire unitary area in the ceremonial county of Berkshire, England. It is also where West Berkshire Council is located. Newbury is in the valley of the River Kennet, 26 mi (42 km) south of Oxford, 25 mi (40 km) north of Winchester, 27 mi (43 km) southeast of Swindon and 20 mi (32 km) west of Reading.
The Lockinge Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Newbury in May.
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.
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.
The Longchamp Racecourse is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tracks and a famous hill that provides a real challenge to competing thoroughbreds. It has several racetracks varying from 1,000 to 4,000 metres in length, with 46 different starting posts.
Ayr Racecourse at Whitletts Road, Ayr, Scotland, was opened in 1907. There are courses for flat and for National Hunt racing.
A steeplechase is a distance horse race in which competitors are required to jump diverse fence and ditch obstacles. Steeplechasing is primarily conducted in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Australia, and France. The name is derived from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside.
Leopardstown Racecourse is an Irish horse-racing venue, located in Leopardstown, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of the Dublin city centre. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing.
Chepstow Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing course located just north of the town of Chepstow in Monmouthshire, Wales, near the southern end of the Wye Valley and close to the border with England. It is one of 16 racecourses operated by the Arena Racing Company and is home of the richest race in Wales, the Coral Welsh Grand National.
John Porter was an English Thoroughbred flat racing trainer whose horses won the English Triple Crown three times. He was described by the National Horseracing Museum as "undoubtedly the most successful trainer of the Victorian era."
Jim And Tonic is a retired French Thoroughbred racehorse. He raced through age eight at tracks around the world and retired with earnings of €4,561,647, the most ever for any French racehorse.
The Oakbank Easter Racing Carnival is a horse-racing meeting held over two days by the Oakbank Racing Club at the Oakbank Racecourse located in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia. The carnival is a mixture of flat and jumping races with between two and four jumps races on day one and two feature jumping races on day two.
Habitat was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which lasted from April until October 1969, the colt ran eight times and won five races. Unraced as a two-year-old, he proved to be the best European miler of 1969, winning the Lockinge Stakes and the Wills Mile in England and travelling to France to win the Prix Quincey and the Prix du Moulin. He was then retired to stud where he became a very successful sire of racehorses and broodmares.
Pall Mall (1955–1978) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, best known for winning the classic 2000 Guineas in 1958. Owned and bred by Queen Elizabeth II, Pall Mall was one of the leading British two-year-olds of 1957, when he won the New Stakes at Royal Ascot and was placed in three other important races. In the following spring, he performed moderately in two trial races before creating a 20/1 upset by winning the 2000 Guineas. He later won the first two runnings of the Lockinge Stakes before being retired to stud, where he had some success as a sire of winners.
Sharpen Up was British racehorse and sire. He was one of the leading European two-year-olds of his generation, winning all five of his races including the Seaton Delaval Stakes and the Middle Park Stakes. He failed to win in three starts in 1972 and was retired to stud. He became a highly successful breeding stallion in both Europe and North America. Sharpen Up died in 1992.
Peeress is a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. In a racing career which lasted from November 2003 until May 2007 raced eighteen times and won seven races, showing her best form over a distance of one mile. After finishing third in her only race as a two-year-old and won three times in the following year but appeared to be below top class. As a four-year-old she showed considerable improvement, winning the Windsor Forest Stakes in June and the Group One Sun Chariot Stakes in October. As a five-year-old she won a second race at the highest level, defeating male opposition in the Lockinge Stakes. In addition to her victories, she was placed in the Falmouth Stakes, Prix Jacques Le Marois and Matron Stakes. Peeress was retired to stud in 2007 and has made a successful start as a broodmare.
Boldboy was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He raced for eight seasons in the 1970s and was one of the most popular and successful racehorses of his era. As a two-year-old he showed ability, but his ungovernable temperament led to him being gelded. In the following year he won the Greenham Stakes, Prix de la Porte Maillot, Diadem Stakes and Challenge Stakes. In 1974 he won the Lockinge Stakes and recorded the first of his four wins in the Abernant Stakes. After failing to win in 1975 he returned to form in 1976 to win the Abernant Stakes and the Sanyo Stakes. He reached his peak in 1977, when he repeated his previous wins in the Abernant Stakes, Sanyo Stakes and Challenge Stakes as well as taking the Vernons Sprint Cup. He won a fourth Abernant Stakes in 1978 and was retired in the following year. Apart from his wins he was placed in many important races but, as a gelding, was unable to compete in European Group One events under the rules which prevailed at the time.
Creachadoir is an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was a specialist miler who won four of his fifteen races between May 2006 and March 2009. Originally trained in Ireland by Jim Bolger he showed promise without winning in two races as a juvenile in 2006. In the first half of 2007 he won the Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial and the Tetrarch Stakes and went on to finish second in both the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and the Irish 2,000 Guineas. He was then bought by Godolphin and won the Joel Stakes before being narrowly beaten in the Hong Kong Mile. In May 2008 he recorded his biggest success when he won the Group One Lockinge Stakes over one mile at Newbury Racecourse. He then suffered a serious leg injury and made only one subsequent appearance before being retired from racing in 2009. He has had limited success as a breeding stallion.
The 24 Hrs Tour was the fifth concert tour by English recording artist, Olly Murs. The tour supports his fifth studio album, 24 Hrs (2016). Beginning March 2017, the tour played over 50 concerts in Europe and Asia.
Crowds at Newbury Racecourse
Cois Farraig jumps the last in front at Newbury
Newbury Racecourse Road, view from the main corner with the main entrance
Vaccination centre in January 2021
