In the early part of the 19th century racing took place on the sands at Redcar. This worked well until the Jockey Club decided that all races had to have a prize of at least £50. Given that Redcar could not charge spectators on the beach racecourse, the meeting became unviable. In 1850 the Redcar Race Committee was formed, with the final meeting on the sands taking place in 1870. The present day course staged its first meeting on Friday 9th August 1872 under the Chairmanship of A.H.T.Newcomen, the owner of Kirkleatham Hall, whose grounds were leased initially for 21 years to a group of sportsmen headed by John Hikeley. The clerk of the course at the inaugural meeting was Thomas Dawson. Within four years the first grandstand was built. Up to the year 1876 punters had to make do with a wooden grandstand, but the Redcar and Coatham Company then built the first permanent grandstand at a cost of £2,650. The course closed down during both World Wars, but immediately after the War ended Major Leslie Petch was appointed Clerk of the Course and set about the task of transforming Redcar. The first running of the Vaux Gold Tankard took place in 1959, followed closely by the Andy Capp Handicap. In 1964 the new grandstand was opened with financial support from the Levy Board. In 1986 there was a Royal winner at the course when Princess Anne rode Gulfland to a five length victory in the Mommessin Stakes. Currently the course hosts 18 fixtures annually.
The County Durham town of Hartlepool certainly held races prior to 1823 because The Sporting Magazine of that year recorded a meeting taking place on ‘the usual Thursday, Friday and Saturday’. However, exactly when the races first began is not known. The course was described as oval and flat, with a circumference of a mile and a straight run in of 2 ½ furlongs. A separate 6 furlong straight course was used for two-year-old sprints. There was no permanent Grandstand, although a temporary wooden structure was built for race days, while the jockeys changed and weighed-in in a cabin nearby. The attendance at the 1855 meeting was badly affected because the meeting coincided with Sunderland races, but by 1856 the two had collaborated and Sunderland races were held on Monday 8th & Tuesday 9th September, whilst Hartlepool scheduled their meeting for 28th and 29th July. Attendance and prize money were both affected at this meeting, particularly as the Corporation withdrew their sponsorship, while the locals of West Hartlepool resented the fact that the meetings name did not reflect their contribution. Furthermore, local meetings at Houghton-le-Spring and Bishop Auckland were operating at the same time, depleting the crowd at Hartlepool. The writing was on the wall for the future of Hartlepool Racecourse, despite the 1863 meeting being called, ‘The Hartlepool and West Hartlepool Races’. The final meeting took place on Tuesday 28th July 1863.
Tuesday 28th July 1863
Hartlepool Handicap over 1 ¾ miles
1. Captain Crow owned by Mr W Hudson and ridden by Osborne
2. Retento owned by Mr Fobert and ridden by J Marson
3. Prologue owned by Mr Copley and ridden by Stafford Thompson
Although the Zetland family were involved in racing from the early days, when Mr Newcomen died in 1884 it was Lord Zetland who succeeded him as Chairman of the racecourse. Up until 1949 the Zetland Handicap was a feature race at the track, but a year later in 1950 the first running of the Zetland Gold Cup was won by the Sam Hall trained Near Way. Results from subsequent running’s of the Zetland Gold Cup are shown below.
1950 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Near Way (11/4 fav), trained by Sam Hall and ridden by W Nevett 17 ran
1951 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Socrates (11/8 fav), trained by M Peacock and ridden by W Nevett 8 ran
1952 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Mid View, trained by H Wallington and ridden by J Bunker 10 ran
1953 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by HVC (5/4 fav), ridden by K Gethin 12 ran
1954 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Prince D’Or, trained by D Candy and ridden by Bill Elliott 16 ran
1955 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Blue Prince II (7/1), trained by Captain Cecil Boyd-Rochfort and ridden by W Carr 12 ran
1956 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Tale of Two Cities (10/1), trained by J Fawcus and ridden by W Bentley 11 ran
1957 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Sunrise (100/8), trained by G Boyd and ridden by G Starkey 20 ran
1958 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Cash & Courage, trained by Sam Hall and ridden by M Haynes 14 ran
1960 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Hard & Soft
1962 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Henry The Seventh, trained by Bill Elsey and ridden by Edward Hide 11 ran
1963 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Principal, trained by F Armstrong and ridden by F Hayes 14 ran
1968 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Castle Yard, owned by HM The Queen, trained by Captain Cecil Boyd-Rochfort and ridden by S Smith 11 ran
1969 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Brother Scot, trained by Bill Elsey and ridden by H Greenaway 10 ran
1970 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Foggy Bell, trained by Denys Smith and ridden by W MacCaskill 9 ran
1973 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Peleid, trained by Bill Elsey and ridden by Ernie Johnson 9 ran
1975 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Record Run, trained by Gavin Pritchard Gordon and ridden by Ernie Johnson 9 ran
1976 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Move Off, trained by J Calvert and ridden by R Still 8 ran
1977 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Move Off, trained by J Calvert 6 ran
1988 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Fridu, trained by Luca Cumani and ridden by Ray Cochrane
1989 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Inaad, trained by Harry Thomson Jones and ridden by Richard Hills
1990 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Eradicate, trained by Peter Calver and ridden by Billy Newnes
1991 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Nayland, trained by Geoff Wragg and ridden by George Duffield
1992 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Rose Alto, trained by James Fanshawe and ridden by George Duffield
1993 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by River North, trained by Lady Herries and ridden by Kevin Darley
1994 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Wainwright, trained by John Gosden and ridden by Gary Hind
1995 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Penny A Day, trained by Mary Reveley and ridden by Kevin Darley
1996 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Migwar, trained by Luca Cumani and ridden by Kieren Fallon
1997 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Champagne Prince (6/1), trained by Peter Harris and ridden by Carl Lowther 12 ran
1998 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Shadoof (8/1), trained by Willie Muir and ridden by Martin Dwyer 8 ran
1999 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Colway Ritz (5/1), trained by Wilf Storey and ridden by Andrew Mullen 8 ran
2000 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Nobelist (14/1), trained by Clive Brittain and ridden by Ted Durcan 13 ran
2001 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by The Whistling Teal (9/4), trained by Geoff Wragg and ridden by John Carroll 13 ran
2002 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Flight Sequence (5/1), trained by Lady Herries and ridden by George Duffield 10 ran
2003 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Hazim (10/1), trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Willie Supple 17 ran
2004 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Blue Spinnaker (5/1), trained by Mick Easterby and ridden by Paul Mulrennan 15 ran
2005 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Blue Monday (7/2), trained by Roger Charlton and ridden by Steve Drowne 16 ran
2006 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Chantaco (4/1), trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by Martin Dwyer 17 ran
2007 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Flipando (14/1), trained by David Barron and ridden by Paul Fessey 12 ran
2008 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Capable Guest (25/1), trained by Mick Channon and ridden by Joe Fanning 13 ran
2009 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by My Kingdom of Fife (9/4), trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Ryan Moore 15 ran
2010 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Forte Dei Marmi (4/1), trained by Luca Cumani and ridden by Jean Pierre Guillambert 11 ran
2011 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Nanton (25/1), trained by Jim Goldie and ridden by Daniel Tudhope 15 ran
2012 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Danadana (5/4 fav), trained by Luca Cumani and ridden by Kieren Fallon 11 ran
2013 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Clon Brulee (9/2), trained by David Barron and ridden by Graham Gibbons 11 ran
2014 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Cashpoint (20/1), trained by Ian Williams and ridden by Shane Gray 12 ran
2015 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Fire Fighting (13/2), trained by Mark Johnston and ridden by Paul Mulrennan 8 ran
2016 The Zetland Gold Cup was won by Revolutionist (8/1), trained by Mark Johnston and ridden by Joe Fanning 12 ran
