Earliest meeting: Friday 12th April 1850
Final meeting: Friday 7th April 1854
Epsom Downs are famous for the Derby, the most important of the 5 English Classics, but Epsom Common is a 436 acre expanse of ground in Surrey’s largest Nature Reserve. It extends from Ashtead Common to Horton Country Park and once enjoyed steeplechase racing in its own right. The inaugural meeting on the Common was held on Friday 12th April 1850 when a 5 race card included the Aristocratic Chase won by Mr Anson’s Johnny Oaks, and the Great Metropolitan Chase won by Mr Stafford’s Fugitive. The general opinion was that the crowds were lower than anticipated and the meeting not supported by the nobility. One paper summed it up with, ‘It’s too near town for the real thing and the nobs won’t do it, and you can’t persuade them’. The following year the feature Great Metropolitan Steeplechase saw Lord Waterford’s Lord George get the better of British Yeoman. Meetings continued for the next 3 years, although it is surprising that they ceased despite the construction of a railway line through the Common, stretching from Epsom to Leatherhead in 1859. The final meeting took place on Friday 7th April 1854. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 2 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Lord Waterford, Mr Anson |
| Principal Races |
Great Metropolitan Steeplechase, Aristocratic Steeplechase, Scramble Chase |
Friday 12th April 1850
Scramble Steeplechase E18
1. Morris Daley, aged horse owned by Mr O’Key
2. Refugee, aged horse owned by Mr Sait
3. Frank, aged horse owned by Mr Bain |
The final meeting took place on Friday 7th April 1854. |
| Course today |
A 4 mile course marked out on Epsom Common using the Epsom Stands. |
| 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. |
| ORDER FORM |
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| Volume 2 South of Hatfield £14.99 + £3 postage |
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| Volume 3 Wales & Scotland £9.99 + £3 postage |
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| Volume 4 Ireland £9.99 + £3 postage |
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| Volumes 1 - 4 £54.96 + £5 postage |
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