Earliest meeting: Monday 22nd Juy 1805
Final meeting: March 1842
The small market town of Loddon is on the River Chet just 12 miles South East of the city of Norwich. The earliest record of racing in the Norfolk village was a single race on Monday 22nd July 1805 on a piece of Common ground on the edge of the village. ‘A vast concourse of genteel company attended the meeting’ to witness Mr J Hovel’s famous horse Neddy win the Town Subscription Purse which was contested by a field of 6 Jerusalem horses. It was a further 35 years before the next reference was made to racing in Loddon as reported in the Sporting Magazine of 1840. At that meeting on Friday 27th March 1840 the Loddon Sweepstakes, over a gruelling 3 ½ miles, was won by Mr Pearson’s Stranger by a comfortable 3 lengths. The final meeting took place in March 1842.

Friday 27th March 1840

Loddon Sweepstakes over 3 ½ miles
1. Stranger owned by Mr Pearson
2. Modesty owned by Mr Turner
3. The Rector owned by Mr H S Grimmer
The winner won by 3 lengths

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