Earliest meeting: Tuesday 7th August 1821
Final meeting: Tuesday 20th May 1834
The Cumberland and Westmorland town of Kendal first held races on a new course to the West of the town in 1821. The 3 day meeting began on Tuesday 7th August, although racegoers would have been disappointed by a walk-over and a Maiden Plate. However, they would have been happier on Wednesday 8th August because the Kendal Gold Cup was won by Lord Queensberry’s Miss Syntax and the Kendal Town Plate went to Miss Wiks. The course was situated on Fisher’s Plain, at the foot of the local Scout Scar, and welcomed an immense crowd for the final day of the meeting on Thursday 9th August. Meetings continued to be held annually, with the feature race each year being the Kendal Gold Cup. At the meeting on Wednesday 4th August 1824 the Gold Cup was won by Young Corrector owned by Mr Simpson. The final meeting took place on 20th May 1834, although racing returned to the town for a four year period from 1879-82. The meetings between 1879 and 1882 offered National Hunt cards containing both Flat and Hurdle races, each over 2 miles. The curtain finally came down on Kendal races in 1882 when Mr C J Cunningham celebrated a treble, scoring with Central Fire and Lindisfarne twice.
Lord Queensberry, Sir P Musgrave, Major Cuninghame, General Sharpe
Tuesday 7th August 1821
Kendall Sweepstakes over 3 miles
1. Unnamed Bay filly by Marmion owned by Mr Robinson walked over
Kendall Maiden Plate over 2 miles
1. Unnamed filly by Marmion owned by Mr Robinson
2. Unnamed colt by Marmion owned by Mr Field
3. The Palmer owned by Mr McMinnie
Wednesday 8th August 1821
Kendall Gold Cup over 3 miles
1. Miss Syntax owned by Lord Queensberry walked over
Kendall Town Plate over 2 miles
1. Miss Wilks, a bay filly owned by Mr T Hutchinson
2. Creeping Kate, a bay mare owned by Mr Blizard
3. Miss Syntax, a bay mare owned by Lord Queensberry
Thursday 9th August 1821
Kendall Hunters’ Stakes over 2 miles
1. Holdforth, a bay gelding owned by Mr W Hutchinson
2. Black Rock, a bay gelding owned by Mr Read
3. Fearnought, a bay gelding owned by Mr T Parkinson
Kendall Handicap Sweepstakes
1. Unnamed filly by Corrector owned by Mr Simpson
2. The Palmer, a brown horse owned by Mr McMinnie
3. Unnamed grey colt by Marmion owned by Mr Field
Tuesday 3rd August to Thursday 5th August 1824
Kendal Cavalry Stakes over 2 miles
1. Maid of the Mill owned by Mr W B Hodgson
Kendal Gold Cup worth £50 to the winner over 3 miles
1. Young Corrector owned by Mr Simpson
2. North Briton owned by Mr Ferguson
3. Sir Henry owned by Mr Hudson
Kendal Town Plate over 2 miles
1. Sir Roger owned by Mr Bretherton
2. Sir Henry owned by Mr Hudson
3. Young Corrector owned by Mr Simpson
I am grateful to Tony Nash for the rare scan of a trophy from Kendal races in the 1820's.
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:-
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
