Earliest meeting: Tuesday 4th May 1742
Final meeting: Friday 23rd May 1862
The North Yorkshire market town of Malton is in the Ryedale district of the county, just 18 miles from York. Malton Castle, an 11th century wooden Norman Castle was built on the site of the current Castle Gardens. In the late 18th and early years of the 19th century Malton was split into Old and New Malton. The earliest record of racing taking place in Malton was on Tuesday 6th September 1692 when the London Gazette reported racing taking place at Langton Wolds in the vicinity of Malton and Norton. The racecourse was an oval course of 12 furlongs, almost entirely flat and without tight bends to negotiate. It had a straight of 4 furlongs which catered for sprint races. Racing continued on this course until the final meeting was held on Friday 23rd May 1862, although racing inexplicably lapsed between 1836 and 1840. During this time, and particularly in the earlier period, meetings were referred to as New Malton. The first three day meeting to be recorded in John Cheny's Historical List was from Tuesday 4th to Thursday 6th May 1742, while the first recorded in Baily’s Racing Register to be billed as New Malton was from Tuesday 7th to Friday 10th May 1751 when the £50 Plate for five year olds was won by Mr Witty’s Grenadier, while on the Wednesday Jig-of-Jogs won the 4 mile race. After a day off on Thursday for hunting the meeting concluded on Friday with a 2 mile race in which Spanker beat Black Legs and Black Eyes. Meetings continued until that final meeting on Friday 23rd May 1862 when ‘The Original Welham Cup’ was won by Mr J Simpson’s Rarey, and the concluding Birdsall Plate by Donner and Blitz for Mr Bowes.
Lord Surrey, Sir R Winn, Sir C Turner
Tuesday 4th May 1742
New Malton £50 4-y-o & 5-y-o Subscribers Purse
1. PHANTOM, grey horse owned by Mr Hutton 1 1
2. TEWER, bay horse owned by Mr Southcoate 2 2 1
3. CASTAWAY, grey gelding owned by Mr Watson 3 3 dist
4. MISS TILT, grey mare owned by Mr Brewster 4 wdr
4 ran
Wednesday 5th May 1742
New Malton £50 6-y-o Subscribers Purse
1. FORESTER, grey horse owned by Mr Croft 5 4 1 1
2. CRAB, grey horse owned by Duke of Perth 3 1 2 2
3. FAGGOT, chestnut horse owned by Mr Draper 1 3 5 3
4. NO TRUST LIKE TRIAL, grey horse owned by Mr Derham 2 2 4
5. MANTON, bay horse owned by Mr Southcoate 4 5 3
5 ran
Thursday 6th May 1742
New Malton £50 Open Purse
1. TRAVELLER, bay horse owned by Sir James Harrington 1 1
2. CHANCE, bay gelding owned by Duke of Perth 2 2
3. SPECTRE, roan horse owned by Duke of Hamilton 3 wdr
4. ALDBY MASTER-PIECE, bay horse owned by Mr Brewster 4 wdr
4 ran
Friday 10th May 1751
New Malton £50 Purse for 4 year olds over 2 miles
1. Spanker, bay colt owned by Mr Hunt
2. Black Legs, brown filly owned by Mr Conyers
3. Black Eyes, bay filly owned by Mr Routh
25th to 27th May 1762
New Malton 3 mile Stakes
1. Blank owned by Lord Rockingham
2. Miss Thornville owned by Mr Preston
3. Shapeless owned by Mr Walton
The winner wore Green and won the first and third heats, being beaten into second by Miss Thornville in the second heat.
New Malton 4 mile Stakes
1. Leonides owned by Mr Fenton
2. Venture owned by Mr Osbaldeston
3. Friendless owned by Mr Elleker
Tuesday 22nd to Thursday 24th October 1782
New Malton 4 mile Plate
1. Judge Jefferies owned by Lord Surrey
2. Hermit owned by Mr Hutchinson
3. Privateer owned by Mr Pratt
Duchess started the 7/4 favourite but was beaten into 5th place by the 4/1 Judge Jefferies.
New Malton Maiden Plate over a mile and a quarter
1. Sir Charles owned by Mr Maynard
2. Hap-Hazard owned by Mr Stapleton
3. Priscilla owned by Sir C Turner
John Cary (1754-1835) was an English cartographer who published his atlas, The New and Correct English Atlas, in 1787. In 1794 he was commissioned by the Postmaster General to survey all English roads. The map shown below is an extract from his 1794 work.
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
