Earliest meeting: Saturday 28th July 1865
Final meeting: Thursday 22nd March 1906
The earliest record of a meeting held in the vicinity of the Scottish town of Dunbar, 25 miles east of Edinburgh, was in 1865 when the East Lothian and Berwickshire Yeomanry organised racing at Belhaven. The meeting was held on Saturday 28th July 1865 in a field near West Barns Sands when a large attendance witnessed a remarkable feat by Mr J Calder. He owned, trained and rode four winners that day. The Grand Stand was already well patronised, with carriages lining both sides of the course, by the time Mr Calder’s Marksman defeated Clauna and Weathervane in the Members’ Plate. In the Scurry Race which followed immediately afterwards his bay gelding Antiquary beat Projectile, while the Ladies Purse was claimed by Marksman. Much later in the afternoon the Grand Stand Plate, over a mile and a half, also went to Marksman. The meeting was successful and repeated the next six years, although there then followed a period of 16 years when no racing took place. However, it was revived in 1888 and once again proved to be well supported, inspiring the racing expert, Sir Loftus Bates, to discuss with the local land owner and trainer, Mr St Clair Cunningham, the possibility of establishing a regular National Hunt meeting at Dunbar. The first meeting at the new course took place on Tuesday 5th April 1898. The inspiration behind Dunbar racecourse was the owner of Hedderwick Hall, Mr St Clair Cunningham, and when he died in April 1904 the driving force and desire to keep the meeting going died with him, racing eventually coming to an end in 1906. Its closing card was held on Thursday 22nd March 1906, culminating in the final running of the Dunbar Handicap Chase.
Mr St Clair Cunningham, Sir Loftus Bates
Dunbar Handicap Chase, East of Scotland Chase, Tyningham Chase
Thursday 21st May 1903
Yeomanry Cup over 2 miles
1. Highland Laddie II, aged horse owned by Mr A M Calder
2. Castasegna, aged mare ridden by Sergeant Hardy
3. Maryfield Boy, aged horse owned by Mr T Calder
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the 1906 map shown below.
The final steeplechase meeting to be held at Dunbar Racecourse under rules was staged on Thursday 22nd March 1906 when billed as a Scottish Military meeting. The Stewards were Colonel Sir W J G Baird, Lieut-Colonel D W Shaw and Lieut-Colonel J A Neilson, overseeing a 5-race card, and they were rewarded with a large crowd, particularly from Berwick and Berwickshire.
Hedderwickhill Handicap Hurdle Plate over 2 miles
1. NORTON owned by Mr George Menzies
2.ISLAND QUEEN owned by Mr G G Tod
3. LADY COREA owned by Mr C J Cunningham
Royal Scots Greys Cup over 2 miles
1. SUDCOTASH owned by Captain W E Lawrence
2. ATHELING SON owned by Captain F Swetenham
3. THE BOY owned by Captain Long
Past & Present Plate over 2 miles
1. ASHTON owned by Major C W C Henderson
2. KING COLE III owned by Captain J C Collingwood
Troopers Plate over 2 miles
1. YANKEE DOPE owned by Trooper Hugh Brown
2. LADY STRATHMORE owned by Trooper James Tully
3. MOONSET owned by Corporal A M Calder
Dunbar Handicap Steeplechase over 2 miles
1. FITZ STUART owned by Mr W C Seymour
2. DOLLAR III owned by Mr C J Cunningham
3. ISLAND QUEEN owned by Mr G G Tod
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the 1925 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
