Earliest Meeting: 1695
Final Meeting: Tuesday 12th October 1749
The Scottish town of Huntly, in Aberdeenshire, located at the conference of the River Bogie and River Deveron, was also called Strathbogie and Milton of Strathbogie in previous times. It holds a strategically important position on routes to Moray, Deeside and Strathdon, and had a motte and bailey castle which was built by McDuff in 1180. It is also the location of Huntly Castle, which is the home of the Gordon Highlanders. In the last years of the 17th century the town hosted horse racing when a meeting took place in 1695, the main prize being the cup shown below.
Races were still being held in the town in the mid-18th century. On Tuesday 12th October 1749, on Huntly Muir (sic) a £50 Purse, given by His Grace, 3rd Duke of Gordon, Cosmo George Gordon, was contested over 4 miles, with stabling beforehand offered by Innkeepers Thomas Brown and John Mellis.
Although a meeting did take place on 19th January 1802 to celebrate the birthday of Jane Gordon, Duchess of Gordon, they were only minor races as part of a much larger festival.
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
