Wetherby Racecourse

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 has also staged Flat racing since 2015. History The history of horse racing near to Wetherby may stretch back to the Roman era, with races believed to have been organised by Emperor Septimius Severus close to nearby Netherby. It has even been suggested that this racing was the earliest ever to take place in England, although it is hard to substantiate that claim. The later 17th century appears to be when regular racing began in the Wetherby area, with a London Gazette record from 1683 advertising a 'horse course' at Clifford Moor 'for two considerable plates valued at £50'. Queen Anne provided a gold cup to be run for at the course early the following century, yet by later that century, racing had moved to the 'Bottoms' opposite Wetherby Grange. It would later be transferred to Parkhill, where races were regularly held in the early 19th century. There is a record of racing at Parkhill from February 1842. Lord Leconfield was persuaded to allow the steeplechases to move to Wetherby Ings near Linton, and the new course was laid out in 1842-43. Henry Hall Dixon, known by his pen name of 'The Druid', described the Ings course as 'the best in England, bar none'. Initial events at the Ings were informal and organised by local hunting and military figures, the military flavour coming from the local garrisons at York, Ripon and Wetherby. A notable surviving record from this time is an 1865 racecard showing a Grand National Hunt Committee race won by a horse named Emperor. It is estimated that 30,000 people attended that particular fixture. The Wetherby Hunt Committee organised a meeting in 1874 featuring a hunter chase sponsored by the Mayor of Leeds, who donated a silver cup. In 1878, local businessmen and racing enthusiasts (led by Henry Crossley, founder of The Wetherby News) established a racing committee in an attempt to professionalise the racing. The committee realised more funding was required so a sixpence entry fee for the popular side was introduced in 1884; this almost led to a riot as admission was previously free. Exorbitant rent increases and a failed attempt to purchase the land forced a move away from the Ings. The final Easter Monday and Tuesday meeting at the Ings (which was by then a tradition) took place in 1890 and Lycett Green’s horse Riston, ridden by Mr. Wilmot-Smith, won the main race on the last ever day of racing at the Ings. Trial meetings took place below Priest Hill and at Micklethwaite Ings but the sites proved unpopular. Four men came together to develop the current racecourse site off York Road: Henry Crossley, William Atkinson and John and Charles Long. The first meeting was held in Easter 1891 on land owned by Capt Montagu of Ingmanthorpe Hall. The Riston trio would be victorious again at this first meeting, but the first winner at the course was Alberta as 4/6 favourite. In 1901, the five-member Wetherby Steeplechase Committee drew up new rules and set aside a reserve fund 'for carrying on of the races at Wetherby for ever'. The initially makeshift course was also improved, with a grandstand and weighing room in place by 1906. Provision of water supplies was also installed. However, the pace of change would slow in World War I, when a hospital was erected at the course. When the lease expired in 1920, the new Wetherby Steeplechase Committee Ltd was formed comprising the remaining members of the race committee (Messrs Crossley, Long and Atkinson, the former being chairman) along with Capt Montagu (the owner, who'd suggested forming the new company), Wilmot-Smith and Leeds corn merchant Kenneth Wilson. Rowland Meyrick was also a member and became clerk of the course, remaining so until 1947. It was around this time that Wetherby races became more important; the course and facilities improved, and the prize money increased to encourage better quality horses to race at Wetherby. Construction of an owners and trainers ring, refreshment rooms and a small hospital and extensions to the main grandstand, jockeys' rooms and weighing room were among the modifications of this time. The improvements continued when Major W.T. Lipscomb took over as clerk, with the race company buying the freehold of the course in 1953. In 1958 a block of buildings, including restaurants, bars, the weighing room and the jockeys' changing room, burnt down; repairs took two years. From 1924 until 1959 the racecourse was served by Wetherby Racecourse railway station. In the 1930s the first terraces were erected. A new club stand was opened in 1967 followed by a new two-tier stand in the 1970s, and then in 1999 the new Millennium Stand was opened, providing the racecourse with executive banqueting and conference facilities. Up until 1963, Racecourse Specials ran to Wetherby railway station from Bradford Exchange on race days. As the station on York Road had closed many years before, for decades the only rail access was via the station on Linton Road at the other end of Wetherby from the racecourse. Wetherby Racecourse was the last racecourse in Yorkshire that hosted only National Hunt meetings, but it now stages Flat racing as well. The course announced early in 2014 that they were investigating staging summer Flat racing and were granted four fixtures when the 2015 list was released in October 2014. The first Flat racing fixture took place on 26 April 2015. An episode of BBC series Bargain Hunt was filmed at an antiques fair held at the racecourse and was first broadcast in 2026. Course The steeplechase course is a little under one mile and four furlongs round, with easy bends. Apart from a climb past the winning post and a downhill run to the back straight, the track is flat until the slightly uphill run from the last fence. There are nine fences, four in the home straight and five, including two open ditches, down the back straight. The hurdles' course has similar characteristics. There are six flights of hurdles, three in each straight. Flat races are run on the hurdles course, with a home straight of about half a mile. There is no straight course; races over 5½ furlongs start on a chute near the end of the back straight. Notable races Facilities The Racecourse features the following facilities, areas and amenities: The Wetherby Millennium Stand & Premier Enclosure The Paddock Stands and Paddock Gallery Parade Ring and Winners Enclosure The A1 Bar Saddling-Up Bar Administration Office & Weighing Room Complex First Aid Room Pre-Parade Ring & Saddling-Up area Tote Credit Club The Paddock Bar Owners & Trainers Bar Stables Complex Cafe and Bar Tote Betting Shop Paddock Bookmakers Course Bookmakers Betting Ring Information Course Enclosure Parking White Horse Restaurant White Horse Mezzanine Bar Marston Moor Bar Dine and View Restaurant Course Bar Course Cafe Enclosures Premier Enclosure is situated in the Millennium Stand. There is no formal dress code, though a smart casual style is typically observed. The enclosure provides access to a range of bars and dining options, including the White Horse Restaurant and the Mezzanine Bar. Paddock Enclosure The largest of the three enclosures is the mid spec, Paddock Enclosure. This is set within the two older stands and has access to the A1 Bar as well as most of the book makers including the large Tote betting shop. Course Enclosure The cheapest of the enclosures is situated in the centre of the course. It has its own bar, cafe, Tote betting shop, bookmakers' stands and 'big screen'; however, it lacks many of the facilities the other enclosures benefit from. Other events The Racecourse is the starting point for the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride, from Wetherby to Filey. Since 2006 the racecourse has been the venue for the Mascot Gold Cup, the world's largest Mascot race which is held over the final furlong on their family day meeting each April. References Bibliography Gill, James (1975). Racecourses of Great Britain. London: Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN 0-2142-0090-6. Unwin, Robert (1986). Wetherby: The History of a Yorkshire Market Town. Wetherby Historical Trust. ISBN 0-9511968-0-4. External links Official website Course guide on At The Races