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Horse racing in the United Kingdom is generally of three types, and is a major contributor to the UK economy. Horse racing can be over fences or over hurdles, known as National Hunt racing, or unobstructed distances races, known as flat racing.

Additionally there is another form of racing which is run on an altogether more informal and ad hoc basis, known as point to point racing. Point to point is a form of steeplechasing for amateur riders. It, like professional racing, is nevertheless run under the auspices of the regulator for horse-racing in Great Britain, the Jockey Club, which works in conjunction with the governing authority, the British Horseracing Board.

The UK has produced some of the greatest jockeys, including Sir Gordon Richards, usually considered the greatest ever jockey. There are about five hundred British professional jockeys *

History

It is thought that the first races to take place in Britain were organised by soldiers of the Roman Empire in Yorkshire around 200 AD, although the first recorded race meeting was during the reign of Henry II at Smithfield, London in 1174 during a horse fair.

It is believed that the first occurrence of a trophy being presented to the winner of a race was in 1512 by organisers of a fair in Chester and was a small wooden ball decorated with flowers.

Early in the 16th century Henry VIII imported a large number of stallions and mares for breeding although it was not until the 17th and 18th centuries that the breeding of thoroughbreds began as we know it now.

Newmarket is known as the home of horse racing in England and James I was prominent in introducing racing there after discovering the little village in 1605 whilst out hawking or riding. He spent so much time there that the House of Commons petitioned him to concentrate more of his time on running the country. This region had a long association with horses going back to the time of Boudica and the Iceni. Around the time that Charles I of England came to the throne, Spring and Autumn race meetings were introduced to Newmarket and in 1634 the first Gold Cup event was held.

All horse racing was then banned in 1654 by Oliver Cromwell, and many horses were requisitioned by the state. Despite this Cromwell himself kept a stud running of his own.

With the restoration of Charles II racing flourished and he instituted the Newmarket Town Plate in 1664, writing the rules himself:

Articles ordered by His Majestie to be observed by all persons that put in horses to ride for the Plate, the new round heat at Newmarket set out on the first day of October, 1664, in the 16th year of our Sovreign Lord King Charles II, which Plate is to be rid for yearly, the second Thursday in October for ever.

In the early 18th century, Queen Anne kept a large string of horses and was instrumental in the founding of Royal Ascot where the opening race each year is still called the Queen Anne Stakes.

In 1740, parliament introduced an act "to restrain and to prevent the excessive increase in horse racing", though this was largely ignored, but in the 1752 the Jockey Club was formed to create and apply the Rules of Racing.

Racing has stayed pretty much the same since with the Jockey Club combining with the National Hunt Committee in 1968 and remain to this day the regulators of racing in the United Kingdom, with the British Horseracing Board, (formed in June 1993) responsible for strategic planning, finance, politics, race planning, training and marketing.

Key data

Key data for 2005 (2004 in brackets) extracted from the British Horseracing Board's annual reports for 2004 and 2005:
  • Fixtures: 1,300 (1,299)
  • Races: 8,588 (8,757)
  • Runners: 94,659 (92,761)
  • Prize money: £99.3 million * of which flat £63.9 million and jump £35.4 million (£101.3 million of which flat £65.4 million and jump £35.9 million)
  • Racegoers: 5,896,922 ** of which flat 3,704,567 and jump 2,192,435 (6,048,517 of which flat 3,873,508 and jump 2,175,009)
  • Monthly average horses in training: 14,388 (13,914)
  • Monthly average owners with horses in training: 9,403 (9,266) (includes joint owners)

British racing is going through a period of growth, but the Chief Executive of the BHB states in the 2005 annual report that in 2005, as in other recent years, "Success was achieved in an environment of great uncertainty." The sport is struggling to adapt to the loss of income from pre-race data following court ruling prohibiting the practice of charging for such in 2004 and 2005, to which the BHB attributes the fall in prize money in 2005. The data charges were themselves designed to replace income lost when a statutury levy was abolished. In 2004 attendances exceeded 6 million for the first time since the 1950s (2004 annual report). The decrease in 2005 is attributable to the closure of Ascot Racecourse for redevelopment for the entire year. With Ascot reopened the BHB estimates that 2006 attendances will exceed 6.5 million.

Racecourses

There are 60 racecourses in Great Britain, with a further two in Northern Ireland (Down Royal and Downpatrick):

Meetings

The main meetings held are:
  • March
    • Cheltenham - The Festival
    • Lingfield Park - Bet Direct Winter Derby

  • June
    • Epsom Downs - Epsom Derby Meeting
    • Ascot - Royal Ascot
    • Newcastle - John Smith's Northumberland Plate
  • July
    • Sandown Park - Coral-Eclipse Meeting
    • Newmarket - July Meeting
    • Ascot - Diamond Day
    • Goodwood - Glorious Goodwood
  • August
    • York - Ebor Festival

  • September
    • Haydock Park - Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup
    • Doncaster - St. Leger Meeting
    • Ayr - Western Meeting
    • Ascot - Ascot Festival

  • October
    • Newmarket - Tote Cambridgeshire Meeting
    • Newmarket - October Meeting
    • Doncaster - Racing Post Trophy
    • Wincanton - Desert Orchid Chase
  • November
    • Cheltenham - The Paddy Power Open
    • Newbury - Hennessy Meeting
  • December
    • Sandown Park - Tingle Creek Meeting
    • Kempton Park - Pertemps Christmas Festival
    • Chepstow - Coral Welsh National

External links

Organisations

Media

There is a fuller selection of relevant links here

Horseracing in the United Kingdom

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Horseracing in the United Kingdom".

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