Final meeting: Tuesday 18th March 1851
The Shropshire village of Admaston was once a village in its own right but has now been subsumed into Telford. It lies to the West of Wellington and its closest neighbouring village is Wrockwardine. It once capitalised on its position in the heart of hunting country, calling on the Shropshire, Wheatlands and Albrighton hunts to enter horses in the race meetings first held on Tuesday 23rd March 1839. Announcements were usually made in local newspapers in mid-March, with entries being taken, under the watchful eyes of Stewards T.C.Eyton and E.W.Harding, at the Spa Hotel in Admaston for the meetings which were then staged in late March or April. At the inaugural meeting the feature Sweepstake, worth 3 Guineas, was won by Mr H Brown’s Catain Cuttle. The meetings remained popular for the next 12 years until a final card was held on Tuesday 18th March 1851.
Tuesday 23rd March 1839
Admaston Sweepstakes of 3 Guineas
1. Captain Cuttle, owned by Mr H Brown and ridden by A.Haynes
2. Mitton, aged bay gelding owned by Mr J Canser
3. Constable of Chester owned by Mr Smallwood
4. Vagabond, aged grey gelding owned by Mr Purcell
The article below is from the Staffordshire Advertiser giving details of the meeting held on Wednesday 17th April 1839.
The articles below are from the Staffordshire Advertiser giving entry details and results from the meeting on Tuesday 23rd March 1839, and are shown courtesy of the British Newspaper Online Archive.
If you have photos, postcards, racecards. badges, newspaper cuttings or book references about the old course, or can provide a photo of how the ground on which the old racecourse stood looks today, then email johnwslusar@gmail.com
Much of the information about this course has been found using internet research and is in the public domain. However, useful research sources have been:-
London Illustrated News
Racing Illustrated 1895-1899
The Sporting & Dramatic Illustrated
Northern Turf History Volumes 1-4 by J.Fairfax-Blakeborough
The Sporting Magazine
A Long Time Gone by Chris Pitt first published in 1996 ISBN 0 900599 89 8
Racing Calendars which were first published in 1727
