A premier jump racing venue, Uttoxeter Racecourse is nestled idyllically among the rolling Staffordshire countryside, alongside the River Dove and hosts approximately 25 meetings every year.
Offering gruelling winter marathons coupled with high-speed, fair weather jumping, it is known as a gritty and authentic, yet progressive track that perfectly complements the British horse racing calendar.
The Early History And The 1952 Public Resurgence
Having opened on May 3, 1907 to replace Keele Park venue which had shut, it served as a modest, five-day-a-year track originally for local gentry and farmers and following its requisition for military use during WWI and WWII, it faced extinction, while a local farmer who owned a key strip of the course refused to sell unless for considerable fee.
However, in 1952, the community pulled together, with the Uttoxeter Urban Council making a radical move; stepping in to buy the land using public funds and then orchestrated a grand reopening on April 12, 1952 for a record-breaking crowd of 12,000 locals
The Track And Its Infamous Layout
Arguably one of the most interesting tracks on the racing circuit, it is a sharp, left-handed oval that measures one mile and two and a half furlongs and, despite the home straight being completely flat, the back straight has a gradual energy-sapping climb.
In the winter, rain often turns the Staffordshire clay into thick, heavy mud and those horses at the front require supreme patience from jockeys to navigate their way through it.
Key Meetings At Uttoxeter Racecourse
The key highlight for dedicated racegoers is the Midlands Grand National in March; established in 1969, this is the pinnacle of Uttoxeter’s calendar and is ridden over four miles and two furlongs, boasting 24 fences. Indeed, this is the second-longest race in the UK after the Aintree Grand National. As a result, it is famous for being one of the hardest races to win in National Hunt racing, with no horse ever having won it twice.
There is also the Summer Cup which often lands in either June or July; prior to this it was the Summer National, though this Listed Handicap Chase spans three miles and two furlongs, being the key target for summer chasers whose preference is firmer and faster ground.
Where Legends Made History
This is also a course that has witnessed some astonishing races. Indeed, in 1967, the renowned jockey, Josh Gifford rode Red Flush to a win here and, in doing so, tied Fred Winter’s historic record of 121 winners in a single season.
Meanwhile, in 1975, Rag Trade claimed the Midlands Grand National title before going on to win the Aintree Grand National the following year, before Lord Gyllene (owned by the course’s track chairman, Sir Stanley Clarke), in 1997 came second just weeks before winning the big one by 25 lengths, after it was delayed until the Monday, due to a bomb-threat. Ultimately, it has proven to be the ideal springboard for Aintree.
And, the greatest milestone in the track’s history occurred in 2002, when 20 time Champion Jockey Sir Anthony (A.P.) McCoy steered Mighty Montefalco to a win which sealed his 1,700th winner, surpassing the great Richard Dunwoody to become the most successful National Hunt jockey of all time.