Earliest meeting: Tuesday 17th December 1867
Final meeting: Saturday 14th April 1956
The Wiltshire market town of Westbury was the setting for the first Beaufort Hunt race meeting in 1867. The town, close to Malmesbury, has a rich history and was once the site of an Iron Age settlement, before the Anglo-Saxons built a monastery. Indeed, Aethelstan, the first recognised King of England, was buried in Malmesbury Abbey in 939. The Beaufort Hunt is known to have been in existence since at least 1786 when the then 5th Duke of Beaufort had a pack of hounds. However, it took almost another hundred years before the Hunt Committee organised its own steeplechase meeting. That inaugural 2 day meeting took place in Westbury on Tuesday 17th and Wednesday 18th December 1867 and then became a roving meeting for the next 11 years. The meeting was staged at various times at Dauntsey, Little Sodbury and Charlton Park before resting on Sherston and Alderton. The final meeting took place on Saturday 14th April 1956 when a certain John Lawrence, later to become Lord Oaksey, rode at the meeting claiming 7 lbs.
Open Steeple Chase, Open Handicap Chase, Badminton Handicap Chase
Tuesday 17th December 1867
Longleat Stakes entries over 2 ½ miles
St Magnus, Penelope, Tinderbox, Tramore Lass
Turpentine, Barbarian, Blarney, Swindler
Useless, Sunbeam, Bessie, Jacob, Merry Horn
I am grateful to Kerstin Hinkley for the photos of the very rare trophy shown below.
The trophy shown below is 27cm tall, weighs 696 grams (22.4 troy ounces) and has London assay marks, made by Robert Garrard, Panton Street, London. It was awarded to Mr C Notley, owner of Nelly, for a race which took place on Tuesday 26th March 1878 at the Beaufort Hunt Steeplechase meeting held on a farm at Bishoper, near Malmesbury in front of the largest crowd to attend a Beaufort Hunt meeting to date. There were 4 objections during the meeting, one of which was against Rifleman for not meeting race conditions, and although he won the race by an easy 3 lengths, he was disqualified and the race awarded to Nelly to the delight of owner Mr C Notley.
United Hunt Cup over 3 miles
DISQ.RIFLEMAN (3/1) owned by Mr W Baker and ridden by J Baker
1. NELLY (5/1) owned by Mr C Notley and ridden by Mr J Chisman
2. SYDMONTON (5/1) owned and ridden by Mr J Craddock
3. LADY OVERBOWN (2/1 fav) owned and ridden by Mr W Baker
4. SCREWDRIVER (5/1) owned by Mr C A Tanner and ridden by W Henley
5. KARS (5/1) owned by Mr T Deacon and ridden by G Ellison
The course was a good trial ground for Grand National horses, with the 1892 winner, Father O’Flynn, finishing second at the 1891 meeting. One of the stalwart Beaufort Hunt supporters, Lord Cowley, jointly owned Cloister, along with Mr C G Duff, which finished second in the 1892 Grand National, but went on to win the big race in 1893.
In 1888 the meeting moved to Sherston, which became a popular, well attended racecourse. It was a left handed track of a mile and a half, with a run-in of 260 yards. After being a nomadic meeting for so many years, the Sherston course offered a degree of stability and was used by the Beaufort Hunt until its demise in 1956. However, there was a break in 1894 when the meeting switched to Acton Turville, and also a possible renaming of the course to Alderton after the First World War.
1.20 Meyerling (100/8), Wrexham Bridge (2/1), Tower Hill (6/1)
2.05 Derelict (5/2), Yellow Oriel (4/1), Quenda (100/8)
2.40 Theodora (5/1), Musical Clock (10/1), Bruised Wheat (10/1)
3.15 Alpine Hut (6/1), Hartburn (2/1 f), Avion (4/1)
3.50 Swan of Avon (4/7 f), Bull’s Eye (6/1), Winkwart (5/1)
4.25 Loppy Lad (2/1 f), Sideways (100/8), Mustard Pot (4/1)
Beaufort Hunt Cup over 3 miles
1. Nushirawan (4/6 f) ridden by Mr E C Paget
2. Bryanston (100/8) ridden by Mr G S Wood
3. Knock John (100/8) ridden by Mr Holman
4. Gloucester Hussar (8/1) ridden by Captain Barnett
5. Trelone (3/1) ridden by Captain Merry
6. Reply Paid (100/8) ridden by Mr J Pope
The winner was owned by Mrs Lees and trained by R Bennett
There is little evidence remaining of the previous courses, but the Beaufort Hunt still organises point-to-point meetings which are held at Oldbury on the Hill near Didmarton.
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
