Doncaster Racecourse

Doncaster
Location	Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Owned by	Arena Leisure Plc
Screened on	Sky Sports Racing
Course type	Flat; National Hunt, Left-handed
Notable races	Doncaster Cup; St. Leger Stakes; Lincoln Handicap
	Official website

Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.

History

Doncaster is one of the oldest (and the largest in physical capacity) established centres for horse racing in Britain, with records of regular race meetings going back to the 16th century. A map of 1595 already shows a racecourse at Town Moor.^[1] In 1600 the corporation tried to put an end to the races because of the number of ruffians they attracted, but by 1614 it acknowledged failure and instead marked out a racecourse.

Doncaster is home to two of the World's oldest horse races:

The Doncaster Cup

The earliest important race in Doncaster's history was the Doncaster Gold Cup, first run over Cantley Common in 1766. The Doncaster Cup is the oldest continuing regulated horse race in the world. Together with the 2 miles (3,200 m) Goodwood Cup and 2+1⁄2 miles (4,000 m) Ascot Gold Cup, the Doncaster Cup is part of Britain's Stayers' Triple Crown for horses capable of running longer distances.

The St. Leger Stakes

Ten years later the racecourse moved to its present location, and in 1776 Colonel Anthony St. Leger founded a race in which five horses ran. This race has remained in existence and has become the world's oldest classic horse race. During the First World War the racecourse was used for military purposes, and substitute races were run at Newmarket from 1915 to 1918.

Doncaster has the distinction of both starting and ending the flat season on turf. Every September, Doncaster hosts the prestigious four-day William Hill St. Leger Festival, which is acclaimed as the premier sporting occasion of the autumn calendar. Doncaster has also taken over events whose traditional homes have closed, such as the Lincoln Handicap in 1965. More history was made at Doncaster in 1992 when it staged the first ever Sunday meeting on a British racecourse. A crowd of 23,000 turned up despite the absence of betting.

The racecourse is used for other functions. It regularly hosts conventions such as the Tattoo Festival and business meetings such as Doncaster Dynamites BNI^{[clarification needed]} every Wednesday. The current^[when?] membership committee of that BNI chapter comprises local Doncaster business people Michael Reeder, Ailsa Watson, James Criddle, Mark Appleyard, Jason Cole, Ian Smith and Andrew Isaacs.

Today the St. Leger Stakes remains the world's oldest classic horse race, and features in the horse racing calendar as the fifth and final Classic of the British Flat racing season. It is run every September.

Specifications

Doncaster is a left-handed, pear-shaped track of around 1 mile 7½ furlongs (3.1 km) which is mostly flat. There are courses for Flat racing and National Hunt racing. The racecourse is easily accessible by road, railway and air.

Notable races

Month	Day of week	Race name	Type	Grade	Distance	Age/Sex
January	Saturday	Great Yorkshire Chase	Chase	Handicap	3m	5yo +
January	Saturday	Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle	Hurdle	Grade 2	2m 110y	4yo + m
January	Saturday	River Don Novices' Hurdle	Hurdle	Grade 2	3m 110y	4yo +
March	Saturday	Grimthorpe Handicap Chase	Chase	Handicap	3m 2f	5yo +
March	Saturday	Brocklesby Stakes	Flat	Conditions	5f	2yo only
March	Saturday	Cammidge Trophy	Flat	Listed	6f	3yo+
March	Saturday	Doncaster Mile Stakes	Flat	Listed	1m	4yo +
March	Saturday	Lincoln Handicap	Flat	Handicap	1m	4yo +
September	Friday	Flying Scotsman Stakes	Flat	Conditions	7f	2yo only
September	Thursday	Sceptre Stakes	Flat	Group 3	7f	3yo + f
September	Thursday	Park Hill Stakes	Flat	Group 2	1m 6f 115y	3yo + f
September	Friday	Flying Childers Stakes	Flat	Group 2	5f	2yo only
September	Friday	Doncaster Cup	Flat	Group 2	2m 2f	3yo +
September	Friday	May Hill Stakes	Flat	Group 2	1m	2yo only f
September	Saturday	St. Leger Stakes	Flat	Group 1	1m 6f 115y	3yo only
September	Saturday	Champagne Stakes	Flat	Group 2	7f	2yo only
September	Saturday	Portland Handicap	Flat	Handicap	5f 140y	3yo +
September	Saturday	Park Stakes	Flat	Group 2	7f	3yo +
October	Saturday	Futurity Trophy	Flat	Group 1	1m	2yo only
November	Saturday	November Handicap	Flat	Handicap	1m 4f	3yo +

Other races

References

^ Barrett 1995, p. 8.

Bibliography

Barrett, Norman, ed. (1995). The Daily Telegraph Chronicle of Horse Racing. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Publishing.

External links

53°31′13″N 1°5′48″W / 53.52028°N 1.09667°W / 53.52028; -1.09667

[FOOTNOTEBarrett19958-1] Barrett 1995, p. 8.

[1]

v t e Racecourses in Yorkshire
Active	Beverley Catterick Doncaster Pontefract Redcar Ripon Thirsk Wetherby York
Defunct	Bedale Bishop Burton Bradford Follifoot Gatherley Moor Hambleton¹ Hedon (Hull) Langton Wold (New Malton) Leeds (Haigh Green Park) Middleham¹ Northallerton Richmond¹ Selby Stokesley Stockton²
Notes	1: Site is still used as gallops (a place to train and exercise horses) 2: Stockton Racecourse was originally north of the River Tees, but a new cut in the river changed it to be on the south side of the Tees, and therefore in the North Riding of Yorkshire.