Earliest meeting: Thursday 16th May 1895
Final meeting: Thursday 18th October 1906
If you hear the name Keele today then the chances are you are visiting a service sation on the M6, but prior to this a racecourse stood close to the morotway. The first recorded meeting took place on Thursday 16th May 1895 at Keele Park Racecourse, close to the town of Newcastle under Lyme in Staffordshire, on the grounds owned by Ralph Sneyd and opened by him. Two local schools are named after the Sneyd family. That first mixed meeting contained 4 steeplechases and 2 hurdle races. The Keele estate had its own station which opened in 1896 to serve the racecourse and was independent of Keele Station. It stood next to Stoneylow Farm, which was also known as Lane Farm and today has been renamed Racecourse Farm in memory of the old racecourse. At the meeting on Monday 26th October 1896 the feature race, the Burslem Steeplechase, was won by Lord Cholmondeley’s Mervyn. Races were generally of a mediocre nature and the final 2 day meeting took place on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th October 1906.
Monday 26th October 1896
Burslem Steeplechase over 2 miles
1. Mervyn, aged horse owned by Lord Cholmondeley
2. Basement, 5 year old owned by Mr Dodsworth
3. Down Quilt, 4 year old owned by Sir W Ingram
The final meeting took place on Thursday 18th October 1906.
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
