Earliest meeting: August 1729
Final meeting: Friday 7th May 1880
The small Shropshire market town of Market Drayton lies close to the Welsh border and first held races in 1729. The town is on the River Tern and has, throughout time, been known as Drayton and Drayton in Hales. Cheny’s horse-matches reported a two day meeting taking place in Autumn 1729, while Baily’s Racing Register first provided detailed results from races held at Market Drayton on Monday 29th September 1730 when the 20 Guineas Plate was won by Diana for local racing fanatic Sir Watkin Williams Wynn. Racing continued in the town until 1734, but then lapsed for 46 years. By 1780 a new course had been laid out on the Adderley Estate, barely a mile from the town centre, and racing resumed in August 1780, with races coinciding with Drayton Wake week. Races continued on and off for a further century until the final meeting took place on Friday 7th May 1880 when the Adderley Plate was won by Fenian for Mr Mynor, finishing alone.
Monday 25th September 1730
Market Drayton 20 Guineas Plate
1. Diana owned by Mr Musters
2. Spot owned by Mr Williams Wynn
3. Infant owned by Mr Middleton
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the map shown below.
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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
