Author: GC

Ripon is a flat-type racecourse located in the cathedral town by the same name in the County of North Yorkshire, North East England. It is owned by the Ripon Race Company and races are televised on At The Races

History

Racing in the Ripon regionhas been alive since the 16th Century, but the first recorded meet was recorded in 1664 at the Bondgate Green. There was a historic racing moment in 1723, when the first ever competition exclusive to female riders was staged.

The course shifted to its present Boroughbridge Road location in 1900, where the first race took place on 6th August. The course has undergone tremendous improvement since then, and currently boasts being the area’s sporting flagship. It has won several accolades in its time, most recent being the Racegoers’ Club ‘Best Small Racecourse in Northern England’ in 2016.

The course

The course is right-handed oval, undulating over a length of 1-mile five furlongs. The turns in most parts of the course are fair, allowing racehorses to hit top speeds. The section just before the home stretch however has one sharp bend that calls for an agile turn. The home straight of five furlongs is arguably on the list of the longer ones.

The course is highly rated for family activity, and picked as an ideal place for the budding racegoer.

Road is the best means to access Ripon. The nearest train station is Harrogate and Thirsk, 11 miles away.

Races

The course hosts roughly 17 race days in a calendar year, all flat. The six-furlong William Hill Handicap is a major attraction for participants. This makes for a tough and closely contested race which is many times not easy to call. The competition has seen it draw large numbers of viewers over time. August’s Bank Holiday Monday races are also very popular family events, with the EBF Champion two-year-old Trophy listed race of particular interest.

Pontefract is located within the market town by the same name in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is a flat-race type course owned by Pontefract Park Race Company Ltd, who have races listed on Racing UK.

History

Racing at Pontefract was introduced by townspeople in 1801, putting a professional touch to a sport that had existed in the town since the 15th century. In 1802, the course management sold £50 silver badges to racegoers, which would allow them to go to races for 20 years. The money raised was used to build the first grandstand.

The course opened a new grandstand in 1922 as it resumed hosting competitions after the World War I closure. It was one of few courses to remain open during the second World War, when it was used as an alternative venue for Lincoln Handicap and November Handicap.

Pontefract was the first course in England to introduce dope testing.

The course

The track is left handed flat, with a length slightly over two miles. It is the longest continuous flat track throughout Great Britain. It has a sharp turn and a five-furlong uphill towards the finish, challenging horses to develop their finishing kick.

Access is manly by road and rail, with the closest of three train stations in the town just 0.3 miles away. Traditionally, Pontefract started its races later that other courses in the country, to allow coal miners from an adjacent colliery to be in time for competitions after their morning shift. The colliery is now closed, and kick off times have been since re-adjusted.

2017 will see Pontefract offer the largest prize money package in their records, with a total of £1.13m up for grabs.

Races

Competition is active between April and October, the flat races period across the UK. 16 race days appear on its calendar, headlined by races like the Pontefract Castle Stakes, Flying Filly, Pipalong and Silver tankard.

Plumpton Racecourse is sited in East Sussex at the village of Plumpton near Brighton and Lewes. It is a small National Hunt course running counter clockwise. The circuit is slightly hilly and covers 1.6 km. The chase and hurdles courses share an uphill finish since the hurdles was moved to the outside of the chase course.

History of the course

The racecourse had its first official meeting on 11 February 1884. It was a good day for Cowslip, who won the first race of the day and won again later in the day. The rider, Harry Escott, got himself a treble. Plumpton is also remembered as the ground on which Tony McCoy got his 3000th win riding Restless d’Artaix, trained by Nicky Henderson.

Through its long existence, Plumpton has been kept going by the efforts of Thomas Henry, Isidore Kerman, Peter Savill and Adrian Pratt, who played different roles over the years which have modeled the racecourse to what it is today.

Notable events

The racecourse gives many race lovers what they don’t get too often, a close up look at the races. Being small as it, it offers a good view of the horses during the parade and all through the race. There are a number of notable races such as Ladies day, Friday Party Night Evening Race-meeting and Easter Family Festival.

The racecourse hosts 16 races in year and comes alive during the prominent events. Though the racecourse is not as big as most, it pulls in a crowd of over 2,000 people when it’s time for that anticipated fixture.

Hospitality and facilities

The racecourse is mostly managed by individuals rather than large companies. Even so, there have been great efforts to improve the facilities and quality of services, transforming the place into a suitable rural getaway. It also helps that the train station is just close by, you can easily make your way there from London.