Ripon
A panorama shot of Ripon racecourse
LocationRipon, North Yorkshire
Owned byThe Ripon Race Company Ltd.
Screened onSky Sports Racing
Course typeFlat
Notable racesGreat St. Wilfrid Stakes
Official website

Ripon Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Ripon, North Yorkshire, England and is nicknamed the Garden Racecourse.[1]

History

Racing on the present site on Boroughbridge Road began on 6 August 1900.[2][3] but racing has taken place at a number of locations in the city from as far back as 1664 when it hosted its first meeting on Bondgate Green. An 1856 OS map shows a racecourse on the north side of the Ure beside the road to Thirsk and adjacent to the railway station.[4]

Racing in the town first gained national attention in 1723 when the city hosted Britain's first horse race for female jockeys.[2][3] Between 1916 and 1919, the southern half of the racecourse was used as a base for No. 76 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (later the Royal Air Force) as RFC/RAF Ripon. The ground was also used sporadically for civilian aircraft into the 1920s.[5][6]

It was voted the 'Best Small Racecourse in the North' by the Racegoers' Club in 2003.[2]

Ripon Racecourse today

The annual race season at Ripon now includes Ripons "Big Night Out" and Family Day in May, Ladies Day in June and the opening day of the Go Racing in Yorkshire in July. There are other fixtures throughout the year including Children's Day, Great St. Wilfrid Day and the Ripon Champion Two-Year-Old Trophy all taking place in August.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Ripon City Wetlands nature reserve is adjacent to the racecourse.[7]

Characteristics

The course is a flat, right-handed oval of 1 mile 5 furlongs with a sharp bend preceding the 5 furlong run in.[2][8] There is a chute which creates a six furlong straight course. The cramped bends and undulations in the straight make the course very sharp.[8]

Facilities

The course has three enclosures - the Club Stand, Paddock Enclosure and Course Enclosure in the centre of the track. Ripon also boasts a permanent giant screen.[1]

Facts and figures

Notable races

Month DOW Race Name Type Grade Distance Age/Sex
August Monday Ripon Champion Two Years Old Trophy Flat Listed 6f 2yo only
August Saturday Great St. Wilfrid Stakes Flat Handicap 6f 3yo +

References

  1. ^ a b c "About Us". Ripon Racecourse. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d "Ripon". talkhorseracing.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b "A great summer in prospect at Ripon". British Horseracing Authority. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  4. ^ "6-inch Ordnance Survey Map, 1856, National Library of Scotland". Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  5. ^ Delve, Ken (2006). Northern England : Co. Durham, Cumbria, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Yorkshire. Ramsbury: Crowood. p. 302. ISBN 1-86126-809-2.
  6. ^ "Ripon I - Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust UK". www.abct.org.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  7. ^ "Ripon City Wetlands". Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Timeform. Racecourse Maps Flat (Report). Portman Press. p. 11.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ripon Racecourse.

54°07′24.38″N 1°29′53.73″W / 54.1234389°N 1.4982583°W / 54.1234389; -1.4982583


Horse racing in Great Britain
Racecourses in Yorkshire
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