Earliest meeting: Tuesday 25th April 1871
Final meeting: Tuesday 25th April 1871
The tiny village of Corhampton in Hampshire lies on the River Meon, and together with its close neighbour Meonstoke, forms a civil parish. In the early 1870s Corhampton held its own races on Tuesday 25th April 1871. The meeting was on an interesting course with an outer course over banks and an inner course containing fences. The meeting opened with the Open Handicap Hurdle over 1 ¾ miles which went to Lord Poulett’s Othello defeating Cademus. The Farmers’ Cup which followed went to Mr H Wooldridge’s Di Vernon, as did the concluding Corhampton Cup over 2 miles. Despite the obvious success of the meeting, no further races were recorded.
Tuesday 25th April 1871
United Hunt Stakes over 3 miles
1. Cobalt, aged horse owned by Lord Poulett
2. Lawrence, aged horse owned by Mr T Yates
3. Ironsides, aged horse owned by Mr C North
Betting: 1/3 Cobalt, 5/1 Lawrence, 20/1 Ironsides
Although the tiny village of Corhampton staged its own meeting on Tuesday 25th April 1871, it was remembered in future meetings of the Hambledon Hunt, held at Bushey Downs, Soberton, by the running of the Corhampton Cup. One such meeting took place on 8th May 1873 when the two main events, the Corhampton Cup and Farmers Cup, were both won by Mr Stratton's bay mare Octoroon. The magnificent trophy for the Corhampton Cup, a gift of R King-Wyndham, still exists today.
Thursday 8th May 1873
Farmers Cup over 2 miles
1. OCTOROON (4/6 fav) owned by Mr Stratton and ridden by Bailey
2. THE PONY (3/1) owned by Mr Shrimpton and ridden by Shrimpton jnr
3. SILVERTAIL (4/1) owned by Mr Houldon and ridden by Turwell
4. MYSTERY (5/1) owned by Mr R Stares and ridden by Greenwood
5. WYMERING LAD (5/1) owned by Mr Peel and ridden by Nicholson
5. KATE (5/1) owned by Mr E Clark and ridden by Higgins
I am grateful to David Copland for the photo of the impressive trophy shown below. It is a claret jug which was manufactured in 1793 by Perter & Ann Bateman and later engraved in 1873 as the Corhampton Cup trophy. It weighs an impressive 793 grams and is 345 mm tall.
1. OCTOROON (Evens jt fav), bay mare owned by Mr Stratton and ridden by Bailey
2. CIVILIAN (Evens jt fav), bay gelding owned by Mr Judd and ridden by J Judd
3. VILLAGE LASS (10/1), bay mare owned and ridden by Mr Stubbs
4. THE PONY (10/1), chestnut gelding owned and ridden by Mr Shrimpton
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
