Earliest meeting: August 1832
Final meeting: Friday 1st July 1870
The village of Longhorsley, bordered by the River Coquet, is in Northumberland and lies some 7 miles from Morpeth to the north-west, and 14 miles from Alnwick to the south. About 100 years after the Domesday Book was formed the village was known as Horsieg, which literally translates as ‘a clearing where horses are kept’, and this seems most appropriate since racing first took place in 1832. Longhorsley Manor was owned originally by the Gospatrick Family, but throughout time has also been owned by the Merlays, Horsleys and Riddells. The racecourse was situated on Longhorsley Moor and famously used a butcher’s scales to weigh the jockeys at the August 1832 meeting. Such was the popularity of the meeting that at least 7 beer tents were set up by local publicans. Racing lapsed before a prolonged series of meetings were organised in the late 1860s, beginning on Friday 30th August 1867 with the Morpeth Hunt Cup which was won by Mr Brown’s Farnham, beating Murille and Cowslip, while the Longhorsley Cup went to Mr Bullock’s Gamester. The only time the Racing Calendar and Sporting Magazine mention races in the village was in 1870 when a meeting took place on Friday 1st July. The Welter Cup over 2 miles was won by Mr Pott’s Aggravator, while the Longhorsley Hunt Cup was secured by Rap for Mr Greet.

Mr Ben Roberts, Mr Braithwaite, Mr William Cleugh

Longhorsley Hunt Cup, Longhorsley Welter Handicap, Felton Plate, Longhorsley Consolation Stakes

Friday 30th August 1867
Longhorsley Cup over 1 ¼ miles
1. Gamester, bay colt owned by Mr Bullock
2. Maid of Denton, chestnut filly owned by Mr Howe
3. Sailor Boy, bay colt owned by Mr Dale

Friday 1st July 1870

Longhorsley Welter Handicap over 2 miles
1. Aggravator owned by Mr Potts
2. First Blood owned by Mr Ben Roberts

Longhorsley Hunt Cup over 2 miles
1. Rap owned by Mr Greet

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