Earliest meeting: Thursday 3rd August 1732
Final meeting: Wednesday 22nd October 1817
The small Wiltshire town of Cricklade, on the River Thames, is situated midway between Swindon and Cirencester. The name Cricklade can be roughly translated as ‘in a pleasant place’, and the town held its own races in the early part of the 18th century, the first meeting took place on Thursday 3rd August 1732 and was included in John Cheny's Historical List. Almost a century later a meeting took place in 1814 on a course 2 ½ miles north of Cricklade near Down Ampney House. At that two day meeting in September 1814 the £50 Prize on Thursday 15th went to Mr Dilly’s Tooley beating Rosebud and Zuleika. It proved to be a good meeting for Mr Dilly because he also won the feature Sweepstake on Friday 16th with Risk. In 1816 the Members of Parliament for the borough added a prize of £50 to the card. The final 2 day meeting was held on Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd October 1817 when, on day one the Members Plate over 2 miles went to Lady Byron owned by Mr Vevers, while on the final day the Sweepstake was won by Mr Foster’s Pickle beating Marianne and Clara.
Thursday 3rd August 1732
Cricklade 12 Guineas Purse
1. WHIPPER IN, bay gelding owned by Mr Garrard 1 1
2. ARRARAT, black horse owned by Mr Howe 2 2
3. STAY TILL I COME, grey horse owned by Sir Henry Inglesfielf 3 3
3 ran
Friday 16th September 1814
Cricklade Sweepstake over 3 miles C38
1. Risk, bay filly owned by Mr Dilly
2. Heriot, chestnut colt owned by the Duke of Norfolk
3. Skylark, bay gelding owned by Mr Tate
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the map shown below.
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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
