Earliest meeting: Monday 22nd April 1889
Final meeting: Friday 12th April 1907
The Suffolk town of Woodbridge lies just 8 miles north east of Ipswich and occupies a prominent position between Ipswich and Norwich. At the heart of the town is the Bull Hotel which was a staging post when stage coaches had their day. Later the Bull had sufficient grounds to stable a large number of horses when a big part of rural life was hunting. In the latter part of the 19th century that love of hunting extended to include steeplechasing. The Initial meeting, organised by the Woodbridge Hunt, took place on Easter Monday 22nd April 1889 in the tiny village of Hasketon which can trace its history back almost to the time the Domesday Book was written. The meeting comprised a six race card staged barely 2 miles from Woodbridge on Home Farm in Hasketon, on a right handed track of a mile round with a run-in of 2 furlongs. Meetings continued to be organised annually by the Woodbridge Hunt Committee each April, with the card embracing both hurdles and steeplechases. All of the meetings, despite being a single day each year, were popular and well supported. Racing continued into the early 20th century until a final meeting on Friday 12th April 1907. Although racing under rules ceased in 1907, the Hasketon course was used for point to point races for the next 62 years before the Woodbridge Hunt moved to Higham.

Orwell Park Hurdle, Hasketon Home Farm Chase

Tuesday 18th April 1893
Easton Park Plate over 3 miles
1. Carbine, 5 year old owned by the Duke of Hamilton
2. Red Ruin, aged horse owned by Captain Langdale
3. Drummer Lass, aged horse owned by Mr A Lencke
Betting: 2/1 ON Carbine, 5/2 Red Ruin, 8/1 Drummer Lad

The final meeting took place on Friday 12th April 1907.

Although racing under rules ceased in 1907, the Hasketon course was used for point to point races for the next 62 years before the Woodbridge Hunt moved to Higham.

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

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