Earliest meeting: Tuesday 10th October 1732
Final meeting: Friday 29th August 1873
The Yorkshire seaside town of Bridlington was staging race meetings as early as 1732 when a meeting on Tuesday 10th October 1732 was included in John Cheny's Historical List. Over a century later a meeting took place on Wednesday 8th April with the feature race, the Five Sovereigns Sweepstake, won by Mischief by an incredible 300 yards. In September 1868 the racecourse was located at the North Sands Quay, with the start at Sewerby Cliffs. The principal race on the sands that day was the Bridlington Quay Handicap over a mile and a quarter when Mr Ellington’s Vulcan was victorious. The final meeting on Friday 29th August 1873 provided a disappointing programme of just one main horse race and it came as no surprise that there were no further meetings organised.
Tuesday 10th October 1732
Bridlington 12 Guineas 4-y-o Purse over 2 miles
1. UNNAMED chestnut horse owned by Mr Osbaldeston 5 1 1
2. UNNAMED grey mare owned by Mr Lister 1 4 2
3. UNNAMED grey mare owned by Mr Booth 2 3 3
4. UNNAMED grey mare owned by Mr Hutchinson 3 2 4
5. UNNAMED brown horse owned by Mr Hollingwood 4 5 5
5 ran
Wednesday 8th April 1840
The Bridlington 5 Sovereigns Sweepstakes
1. Mischief owned by Mr Lamplugh
2. Gipsey King owned by Mr J Cook
3. Unnamed horse by Sandbeck owned by Mr F Taylor
The winner won comfortably by over 300 yards.
Wednesday 29th August 1866
Bridlington Quay Handicap over 1 ¼ miles
1. Harbinger, brown gelding owned by Mr C Reynard
2. Promised Land, grey horse owned by Mr Reynard
3. Nelly Gray, grey filly owned by Mr Simpson
Betting 2/1 ON Harbinger, 3/1 Nellie Gray, 4/1 Promised Land
September 1868
Bridlington Plate over a mile and a quarter
1. Vulcan owned by Mr T Ellington
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the map shown below.
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
