"were designed for horse and chariot racing. The stadium of the Circus Maximus in Ancient Rome could hold 200,000 spectators. Racing facilities existed during the Middle Ages, and there are records of a public racecourse being opened at Newmarket in London in 1174. In 1780 the Earl of Derby created a horse-racing course on his estate at Epsom; the English Derby continues to be held there today. Racecourses in the British Isles are based on grass, known as turf tracks. In the United States, the race tracks are dirt. With the advent of the automobile in the late nineteenth/early twentieth"
"race days. Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse located in Epsom, Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The ""Downs"" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 130,000 when taking into account people watching from the Epsom Downs, an area freely available to the public, is best known for hosting the Derby Stakes which has come to be widely referred to as The Derby (note, 'Epsom' is not part of the title of the race), the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race"
"Derby Racecourse Derby Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Derby, England, from 1848 to 1939. It was preceded by two earlier courses, at different locations. Races were first held on Sinfin Moor in the early 18th century, before relocating to The Holmes. It is unknown exactly when horse racing first started in Derby, although a reference to racing in the town occurs in the play ""Monsieur Thomas"", published in 1639. Races associated with fairs were probably held at a variety of locations, perhaps including Nuns' Green in the modern West End. Sinfin Moor, located some way south of"
"Epsom Downs Racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse located in Epsom, Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The ""Downs"" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 130,000 when taking into account people watching from the Epsom Downs, an area freely available to the public, is best known for hosting the Derby Stakes which has come to be widely referred to as The Derby (note, 'Epsom' is not part of the title of the race), the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old"
"Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, officially the Investec Derby, popularly known as the Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey over a distance of one mile, four furlongs and 6 yards (2,420 metres), on the first Saturday of June each year. It is Britain's richest horse race, and the most prestigious of the five Classics. It is sometimes referred to as the ""Blue Riband"" of the turf. The race serves as the middle leg of the Triple Crown, preceded by the"
"of the official title of the race.) It is the third of Britain's five Classic races to be held during the season, and the second of two restricted to fillies. It can also serve as the middle leg of the Fillies' Triple Crown, preceded by the 1000 Guineas and followed by the St Leger, although the feat of winning all three is rarely attempted. The event is named after The Oaks, an estate located to the east of Epsom which was leased to the 12th Earl of Derby in the 18th century. He and his guests devised the race during"
"Nottingham Racecourse Nottingham Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated at Colwick Park, close to the River Trent and about 3 km east of the city centre. There are actually two courses at Nottingham, one inside the other. They are both approximately 1 1/2 miles round and are left-handed. The inner is used during spring and autumn, and has a 5 furlong straight, the outer is used during summer and has a 6 furlong straight. The course generally has easy turns and minor gradients, but the home turn is fairly sharp. Nottingham"
"might previously have contested the 2,000 Guineas Stakes over a mile (1600 m). Unusually, the racecourse is not a circuit but is roughly ""U""-shaped with chutes for the start of sprint races over five, six and seven furlongs. The Derby course features an ascent to the top of the hill followed by a wide, sweeping left turn (Tattenham Corner) as the horses descend towards the straight. The half-mile straight is mainly downhill, with a final sharp ascent in the last hundred yards. The predominantly downhill nature of the straight means that times for the sprint races tend to be much"
"Lingfield Derby Trial The Derby Trial Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 133 yards () at Lingfield Park in May. Established in 1932, the event serves as a trial for the Epsom Derby. The first running was won by the subsequent Derby winner April the Fifth. The left-handed track at Lingfield Park is similar to that at Epsom. It has an undulating, cambered terrain with a sharp downhill turn into the home straight. In total, eight winners of"
"Winter Derby The Winter Derby is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs at Lingfield Park in February or March. The event was established in 1998, and the inaugural edition was won by Running Stag. It was given Listed status in 1999, and promoted to Group 3 level in 2006. The Winter Derby is run on a Polytrack surface. It is one of four non-turf Group races in Britain, along with the Chipchase Stakes, September Stakes and the"
"dead-heat; shd = short-head; hd = head; snk = short-neck; nk = neck). <br> <br> Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, officially the Investec Derby, popularly known as the Derby, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey over a distance of one mile, four furlongs and 6 yards (2,420 metres), on the first Saturday of June each year. It is Britain's richest horse race, and the most prestigious of the five Classics. It is sometimes referred to as the ""Blue Riband"" of the"
"in the Derby being located outside London for the first time, as Wimbledon was the last greyhound stadium in the capital. Charlie Lister holds the record as the most successful trainer at the Derby, having won it on seven occasions. He is hailed as the greatest greyhound trainer of all time and referred to as the Derby King. On 30 January 2017 it was announced that the event would relocate to Towcester, Northamptonshire at the new Greyhound stadium at Towcester Racecourse for a minimum period of five years but switched to Nottingham in 2019 because Towcester closed. English Greyhound Derby"
"Warwick Racecourse Warwick Racecourse is a horse racing course in Warwick, England. It is a National Hunt racing course and has a programme of 19 meetings throughout the year, all of which are televised on Racing UK. Two Saturday fixtures; Classic Chase Day in January and Kingmaker Chase Day in February, are broadcast live on ITV. The first stand was built in 1808; it has recently undergone a major refurbishment of its facilities. In the racecourse is a nine-hole golf course and a golf driving range. The area is a popular place for local people to walk their dogs. There"
"Leicester Racecourse Leicester Racecourse is a horse racing course in Oadby, Leicestershire, England. The course is oval shaped and nearly 2 miles in extent. It was opened in 1883. Before 1883 Leicester Races, which had been run since 1773, were held at what is now Victoria Park, closer to the town centre. The course hosts both forms of British horse racing event: National Hunt, in which the horses race over fences or over hurdles, and Flat racing, in which the horses run an unobstructed distance. Prior to the 2009/10 National Hunt season, the open ditch, which was jumped as the"
"Winter Derby Trial The Winter Derby Trial is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs at Lingfield Park in February. It was run as an ungraded conditions race prior to 2007. The race was first run in 1999 and serves as a trial for the Winter Derby, a Group 3 race run over the same course & distance 21 days later. Since 2000 four horses have won both races - Zanay (2000), Adiemus (2002), Eccentric (2005) and Grendisar (2016)."
"final on the same night as the Durham National. Sedgefield Racecourse Sedgefield Racecourse is an English horse racing course located south of the city of Durham, close to the village of Sedgefield, owned by Arena Racing Company. It is a left-handed course, used for jump racing only. The finishing straight is about three furlongs in length, with a steep descent followed by a climb to the winning post after the last fence. There are 20 fixtures in the 2016 season, with meetings in every month except June and July. It is also used as a venue for numerous other indoor"
"Pontefract Racecourse Pontefract Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England. The track is left-handed undulating course with a sharp bend into the home straight. Horses drawn low (i.e. on the inside of the track) usually have the advantage. The final 3 furlongs of the track are uphill, making it quite testing. The course was originally a horseshoe of 1 1/2 miles, but in 1983, it was converted into a full circuit of about 2 miles. This made it one of the longest continuous flat racing circuits in Europe and allowed it to stage one"
"Windsor Racecourse Windsor Racecourse, also known as Royal Windsor Racecourse, is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Windsor, Berkshire, England. It is one of only three figure-of-eight courses in the United Kingdom, the others being at Fontwell Park and Cartmel in Cumbria. Windsor Racecourse is located on the banks of the River Thames and occupies a large island between the main channel of the River and the Clewer Mill Stream backwater. The local area has links to horse racing that date back to the time of Henry VIII, but the first race meeting at Royal Windsor did not take"
"the race have achieved victory in the Derby. The most recent was High-Rise in 1998. For a period the Derby Trial Stakes held Group 3 status. It was relegated to Listed level in 2013. Leading jockey (6 wins): Leading trainer (10 wins): The 2012 running took place on Lingfield's all-weather track over 1 mile and 4 furlongs. Lingfield Derby Trial The Derby Trial Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 3 furlongs and 133 yards () at Lingfield Park in May. Established"
"to win The Derby and the St Leger in 1889. Other top class horses to win the race have included Semolina, Deep Diver, Provideo, The Last Lion and Hearts of Fire. The 2006 running took place at Redcar. The 2007 running took place at Newcastle. Brocklesby Stakes The Brocklesby Stakes is a British horse race, notable as the traditional opening two-year-old race of the British Flat racing season. It is run over five furlongs at Doncaster Racecourse. The Brocklesby was first run in 1849 as an all-age 12 furlong race at the now defunct Carholme racecourse in Lincoln, but became"
"Sedgefield Racecourse Sedgefield Racecourse is an English horse racing course located south of the city of Durham, close to the village of Sedgefield, owned by Arena Racing Company. It is a left-handed course, used for jump racing only. The finishing straight is about three furlongs in length, with a steep descent followed by a climb to the winning post after the last fence. There are 20 fixtures in the 2016 season, with meetings in every month except June and July. It is also used as a venue for numerous other indoor and outdoor events, such as weddings and conferences. The"
"trial for The Derby. The last horse to win both races was Kris Kin in 2003. Leading jockey since 1960 (5 wins): Leading trainer since 1960 (11 wins): The 1983 running was abandoned because of a waterlogged course. <br> Dee Stakes The Dee Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old colts and geldings. It is run over a distance of 1 mile, 2 furlongs and 70 yards () at Chester in May. The event is named after the River Dee, which runs alongside the racecourse. It was established in 1813, and was originally open"
"Wolverhampton Racecourse Wolverhampton Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. The track was the first to be floodlit in Britain and often holds meetings in the evening. The course has a Tapeta surface, and is one mile (1,609 m) in circumference, with left-hand turns — giving it greater commonality with most racetracks found in the United States than with other venues in the UK. There has been a racecourse in Wolverhampton since 1825, in what is now the West Park, where the Park Road follows the line of the track. This was sold to"
"wartime periods, with runnings at Newmarket (1915–16, 1943–45) and Newbury (1941). The race is contested on the first day of Epsom's two-day Derby Festival meeting, the same day as the Oaks. Its distance is the same as that of both the Derby and the Oaks, and it often features horses who competed in those events in the preceding seasons. Coronation Cup The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2,420"
"It is run, not over a typical modern racecourse, but partly along the wide verge of a roadside. A clerk is paid 5 shillings (25p) annually for maintaining it. Kiplingcotes is a small hamlet close to Market Weighton, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The Derby starts near to the former Kiplingcotes railway station and finishes at Londesborough Wold Farm. During the harsh winter of 1947, no one was daring enough to take part, and so one local farmer took it upon himself to lead a lone horse around the course, ensuring that the historic race would survive. During the"
"Lincoln Racecourse Lincoln Racecourse is a former horse racing venue to the west of the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. It was the original location of the Lincolnshire Handicap. The course closed in 1964, and the following year the race relocated to Doncaster Racecourse where a small change to the race title sees it run as the Lincoln Handicap. From 1727 at the earliest, Lincoln had held a Royal Plate race, run in 4 mile heats by 6 year olds carrying 12 stone. The course was located west of the City of Lincoln by Saxilby Road. The racecourse was established"
"Most successful horse (2 wins): Leading jockey (3 wins): Leading trainer (5 wins): Winter Derby Trial The Winter Derby Trial is a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs at Lingfield Park in February. It was run as an ungraded conditions race prior to 2007. The race was first run in 1999 and serves as a trial for the Winter Derby, a Group 3 race run over the same course & distance 21 days later. Since 2000 four horses have"
"length, with a steep descent followed by a slightly less steep climb to the winning post. It is a left-handed course, used for flat racing only. The longest race run today is 1 1/2 miles. However, the course used to extend a further half mile across the golf course towards Roedean. This made four mile races possible, starting at the winning post and going the reverse way round the track, then looping at the two mile start and returning the conventional way. Hurdle races were also formerly held at Brighton, with one being situated on the steep downhill. The Duke"
"Hexham Racecourse Hexham Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing track located in Hexham, Northumberland, England. Situated 800 feet above sea level at High Yarridge, just south of the town, the course is a left-handed circuit of about one and a half miles with a short uphill climb on the approach to the finishing straight and a run-in of 250 yards. The run in is perfectly flat with zero gradient. When approaching the last fence the last 60 yards is slightly downhill.Hexham is a National Hunt course with ten fences for the steeplechasers to negotiate. Its principal race is the Heart"
"Haydock Park Racecourse Haydock Park Racecourse is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England. The racecourse is set in an area of parkland bounded by the towns of Haydock to the west, Ashton-in-Makerfield to the north, Golborne to the east and Newton-le-Willows to the south. Horse racing had been run in Newton for many years (the great racemare Queen of Trumps won at Newton in 1836), and the venue was also used for hare coursing in the 1880s. The current racecourse was opened in 1899. Much of the course's early development was overseen by Sydney Sandon, who served as course"
"Towcester Racecourse Towcester Racecourse is a horse racing course at Towcester (pronounced ""Toe-ster"") in Northamptonshire, England. Recently rebuilt, it hosts National Hunt racing race meetings (over jumps) in the Winter months. It is situated on the Easton Neston estate. A greyhound racing track was opened in 2014 and staged the English Greyhound Derby until 2018. The course went into administration in August 2018 and the future of horse racing and greyhound racing at the venue is uncertain. The first meeting took place in 1928. The Towcester Racecourse Company was formed under the direction of Lord Hesketh, and it was on"
"a horse called Sir Peter Teazle. The starting point of the race was moved twice during the 19th century. The first move, suggested by Lord George Bentinck, was in 1848, and the second was in 1872. It was discovered in 1991 that the exact length of the race was one mile, four furlongs and 10 yards. Initially, the Derby was run on a Thursday in late May or early June, depending on when Easter occurred. In 1838 the race was moved to a Wednesday to fit in with the railways' timetables, but still followed the moveable feast of Easter. In"
"1780 Epsom Derby The 1780 Epsom Derby was the inaugural running of The Derby – the horse race which would become the ""greatest turf event in the world"" and after which more than 140 other horse races, including the famous Kentucky Derby, are named. It took place on 4 May 1780 on Epsom Downs in Surrey, England, and was won by Diomed, owned by Sir Charles Bunbury and ridden by Sam Arnull. At the previous year's Epsom May race meeting, Lord Derby had instigated a 1 1/2 mile race for three-year-old fillies, which he had named the Oaks after the"