Earliest meeting: Saturday 23rd September 1730
Final meeting: Wednesday 24th March 1909
The Warwickshire town of Atherstone can trace its history back to Roman times and is situated close to Watling Street. Baily's Racing Register first provided detailed results from races held at Atherstone on Saturday 23rd September 1730 when Now-or-Never won the feature race. Racing continued in the town until a revolution in 1870 when the National Hunt Committee made an attempt to formalise racing. As a consequence, a number of courses wishing to continue their old traditions chose the point to point route, the route which Atherstone chose to go down. Atherstone Hunt organised point to point meetings annually at Moor Barns in the vicinity of Atherstone, but for a period of time there were Atherstone Hunt Steeplechases which were organised under National Hunt Rules. The most productive period of National Hunt racing in the vicinity of Atherstone was between 1905 and 1909 when races were staged at White Stone, Old Hill Farm, Attleborough near Nuneaton. Although no races took place in 1904 while the Hunt Committee considered their options, in 1905 a meeting under National Hunt Rules was staged at Old Farm. Meetings continued at this venue for the next 4 years until a final meeting was held in 1909. The races were organised by the Atherstone Hunt Committee, which had always played a leading role in organising point-to-point races in the town. The final meeting under rules was staged on Wednesday 24th March 1909 and the final race won by Sandhurst.
Foxhunters Handicap Chase, Atherstone Farmers’ Chase
Saturday 23rd September 1730
Atherstone £20 Plate
1. Now-or-Never owned by Mr Mackworth
2. Vulcan owned by Mr Egerton
The earliest meeting at Atherstone, on Saturday 23rd September 1730, was held at a course on the meadows in what was then called Middle Field, and later named Horse Race Meadow. Horses entered in the races had to be shown at Market Cross prior to the race taking place, and were then led to the course. In those early days the course was flagged with marker posts, starting at the bridge and continuing around up to three circuits of the course. Today there is a school, Racemeadow School, on the former racecourse, with Racecourse Road leading to the school. Now-or-Never, owned by Mr Mackworth, won the £20 Plate at that early meeting. Baily's Racing Register continued to record the results from Atherstone races, although they were under constantly under threat in the early 18th century. Around 1735 the Lord of the Manor, Edward Repington, who owned just 5 acres of land, attempted to enclose the open fields which included the Middle Field where races were held. He had the backing of a local, wealthy landowner, Abraham Bracebridge, who owned upwards of 500 acres in the vicinity of Atherstone, and was so against racing being staged at Atherstone that he eventually succeeded in getting the races moved about 5 miles from the town centre, much closer to Nuneaton. Those races were staged at Old Hill Farm in the White Stone area of Attleborough. Despite the efforts of Repington and Bracebridge, they did not benefit because it was to be a further 30 years before enclosure took place.
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the map shown below.
I am grateful John Hodges, and to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the map shown below.
The most prominent period when races took place in the vicinity of Atherstone was in the five year period between 1905 and 1909. The races were organised by the Atherstone Hunt Committee, which had always played a leading role in organising point-to-point races in the town.
The long line of trees is the Long Grove and then the road turns sharply right into Ratcliffe Road and runs for the best part of a mile to the river bridge. One can see why the site was chosen for the races, as it was particularly flat and, apart from the hedgerows, little would have changed since the 1730s.
Atherstone now stages point-to-point meetings, although they are not on the old racecourse but at Clifton-on-Dunsmore.
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
