Earliest meeting: Thursday 29th November 1894
Final meeting: Thursday 28th December 1905
Newmarket in Suffolk remains the home of English racing, but what might not be as well known is that the town once staged steeplechase meetings. The Cheveley Park Estate was developed as a jumping course in 1892 under the direction of Colonel Harry McCalmont when he took ownership of the Estate, but he was dissatisfied with that initial course as trees blocked his view of the races, so he developed a steeplechase course on nearby Links Farm, the first meeting taking place on Thursday 29th November 1894. Meetings billed as ‘Newmarket Hunt races’ had been held up to the 1860s on a course at Moulton, and were revived in March 1879 at a course 5 miles from Newmarket and a mile and a half from Kennet Station, but the re-revival in 1894 was held in Newmarket. By 1895 it had extended to a 2 day meeting and included the Newmarket Grand Military Chase which was later won by Greenhill for Mr Withington in 1897. At that same meeting the Cheveley Cup saw The Rush land prohibitive odds of 1/5 to defeat Sophos and Xylophone. The National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, over 4 miles and 24 fences, is now contested at the annual Cheltenham Festival in March, but in 1897 it was held at Newmarket, resulting in a win for Nord Quest ridden by Jules Morand. Colonel McCalmont was caught up in War duties from 1899 to 1901 and the meeting did not take place during these years. More bad fortune occured in 1902 when the weather caused the meeting to be cancelled. The Colonel died in December 1902 and with him the chance of permanent steeplechasing ever becoming firmly established at Newmarket. The final meeting took place on Thursday 28th December 1905.
Cheveley Park Cup, Newmarket Grand Military Chase
Tuesday 30th November 1897
Grand Military Steeplechase over 3 ½ miles
1. Greenhill, 6 year old owned by Mr Withington
2. Filbert, 6 year old owned by Mr Beaty
3. Olive Branch, 6 year old owned by Mr Grundy
Betting: 6/5 Greenhill, 5/2 Filbert, 7/2 Olive Branch
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the 1888-1913 map shown below.
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
