Earliest Meeting: Thursday 8th February 1866
Final meeting: Thursday 23rd April 1868
The civil parish of Llanyblodwel, on the River Tanat, lies 7 miles west of Oswestry in Shropshire. It is a small village with a population of approximately 770, benefitting from spectacular countryside and magnificent views of the Welsh hills. In 1866 it held its own race meeting on a 6 furlong course, followed just two years later by a second meeting on a specially laid out 2 1/2 mile course.
Lord Bradford, the 3rd Earl of Bradford, Orlando George Charles Bridgeman, styled himself as Viscount Newport, and was a Conservative politician. He was also a prominent owner of racehorses, with colours of white, scarlet sleeves and black cap. He was a lucky owner, winning the 1865 Cesarewitch with Salpinctes, and won it again in 1879 with Chippendale, who had finished runner-up in two previous runnings of the race. However, the crowning glory of his period of racehorse ownership was victory in the 1892 Epsom Derby with Sit Hugo (SR 2015), trained by Tom Wadlow at Stanton, and ridden by Fred Allsopp.
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the 1836 map shown below.
Lord Bradford owned extensive estates in the parishes of Knockin, Morton and Kinnerley, and to mark the coming of age of his eldest son, Lord Newport, George Cecil Orlando Bridgeman, born in 1845, a day of celebration was organised on Thursday 8th February 1866 which included steeplechases at Llanyblodwel. The 6 furlong course was laid out in fields below the school, when a bank provided a natural viewing area for numerous attendees, with Captain Hamer appointed as Judge and Mr E Jones officiating as Clerk of the Course.
Thursday 8th February 1866
Steeplechase for saddle and bridle
- Kitty owned and ridden by Mr L Baugh
- Rob Roy owned by Mr Williams
- Schoolgirl owned by Mr Bromley
- Polly owned by Mr Jones
- Single Peeper owned by Mr Whitfield
- (Fell) Charley owned by Mr Edwards
- (Bolted) Gladiator owned by Mr Davies
Steeplechase for £3
- Little Fan owned by Mr Rogers
- Robin Hood owned by Mr Davies
- Butchers Lass owned by Mr Jones
- Jack owned by Mr L Baugh
Sweepstake for beaten horses
1= Schoolgirl owned by Mr Bromley
1= Charley owned by Mr Edwards
3 Single Peeper owned by Mr Whitfield
Two years later, on Thursday 23rd April 1868, another celebration involved the entire village, this time to rejoice at the coming of age of John Parry Hamer of Glanrafon Hall. A procession began at 9.30am at the Horseshoe Inn, proceeding to Glanrafon Hall. Races then took place in the afternoon on the Garth Issa estate on a 2 1/2 mile racecourse marked out by Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, with Sir E A Hamilton, J Hamer and William Evans acting as stewards. The principal race, the Tanat-Side Hunt Cup over 2 1/2 miles, was presented to Collier's owner Mr Kempster by William Evans.
Tanat-Side Hunt Cup over 2 ½ miles
- Collier owned by Mr Kempster and ridden by Baldwin
- Kitty owned and ridden by Mr L Baugh
- Lucy owned by Mr Jenkins and ridden by Nixon
- Sweep owned by Mr Hilton and ridden by Knight
- Miss Menken owned and ridden by Mr Bromley
Glanrafon Cup over 2 1/2 miles presented by J Hamer
- Adeline owned by Mr H Jones
- Ploughboy owned by Mr Gill
- The Rook owned by Mr Hardcastle
- Colleen Bawn owned by Mr Gill
Open Pony and Galloway Race over 2 1/2 miles
- Polly owned by Mr Gill
- Exchange owned by Mr Thorne
- Nil Desperandum owned by Mr Whittingham
Afterwards, a dinner was served at the Horseshoe Inn with Mr D W Evans in the chair.
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
