Earliest meeting: Monday 25th September 1820
Final meeting: Tuesday 25th September 1860
The first evidence of racing at Brierley Hill, now a suburb of Birmingham to the west of the city, was on Monday 25th and Tuesday 26th September 1820 in conjunction with the town’s Wakes celebrations. A 2 day meeting was staged featuring the Brierley Hill Plate on day one, and a Plate confined to galloways on the second day. Both the Old Bush Inn and the Three Furnaces offered an Ordinary after racing. Racing continued in the town on an annual basis each September up to 1856 on the early course, and after this date a new course was developed in the grounds of the Furnaces Inn, Level, with a final 2 day meeting staged on Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th September 1860. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 1 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Mr J Oakes (Furnaces Inn) |
| Principal Races |
Brierley Hill Stakes, Dudley Castle Stakes, Brierley Silver Cup |
Tuesday 25th September 1849
Dudley Castle Stakes over 2 miles
1. Rackety Girl, owned by Mr Green and ridden by Thrift
2. Miss Birch
3. Polly, owned by Mr Yardley and ridden by Smith |
| The final meeting took place on Tuesday 25th September 1860. |
| Course today |
Latterly behind the Furnace Inn, Level |
| 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 |
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ISBN 978-0-9957632-0-3
652 pages
774 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-1-0
352 pages
400 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-2-7
180 pages
140 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-3-4
264 pages
235 former courses |
| Copies of the above books are only available by emailing johnwslusar@gmail.com stating your requirements, method of payment (cheque payable to W.Slusar) or Bank transfer, and the address where the book(s) should be sent. |
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