Earliest meeting: August 1845
Final meeting: Monday 17th May 1948
The Welsh cathedral city of Newport, on the River Usk, is located in south Wales just 12 miles north east of Cardiff. The earliest recorded two day race meeting in the area was in August 1845 at Caerleon, with meetings continuing until 1854. The 1845 meeting was not worthy of note because the three races on Wednesday only attracted a total of six horses, while the sport on Thursday was even less attractive. The Sporting Magazine of 1846 reported on the second year of meetings held at the Newport Racecourse in Monmouthshire when a one day meeting took place on Tuesday 3rd September. The card opened with the Newport Stakes which went to Mr Smith’s Foxwhelp, but the meeting proved to be exceptionally good for Mr F Jacob and his mare Valeria, who showed her flexibility by winning the Pontypool Park Stakes and the Llantarnam Hurdle Stakes. Meetings lapsed for over three decades until the Llangibby and Tredegar Hunt Groups organised National Hunt events in the mid 1880s. However, the earliest races billed as ‘Newport’ were not held until a two day meeting from Wednesday 15th to Thursday 16th November 1899. By then the course was situated on the banks of the River Usk, close to the M4 near to Caerleon and less than a mile from Caerleon Station. Meetings stopped in 1913 prior to the outbreak of World War I and did not begin again until 1919. The course closed again for World War II but reopened in May 1946 and a year later the Queen Mother’s jockey and celebrated racing author, Dick Francis, rode Wrenbury Sahib at Newport on Saturday 14th June 1947, one week before his wedding. It proved to be an awkward ride and fateful decision because the horse fell and Dick broke his collarbone, leaving him with a permanent reminder on his wedding photographs. The final meeting took place on Monday 17th May 1948.
Welsh Champion Hurdle (now transferred to Chepstow), Pontypool Park Stakes, Monmouthshire Hunt Cup, The Llanarth Hurdle
Tuesday 3rd September 1846
The Newport Stakes over 2 miles
1. Foxwhelp owned by Mr Smith
2. Redstreak owned by Mr Evans
3. Faith owned by Mr Bullin
The Pontypool Park Stakes over a mile
1. Valeria owned by Mr F Jacob
2. Thurgarton owned by Mr E Davenport
3. Miss Bodkin owned by Mr Tyler
The Llanarth Hurdle over 2 miles
1. Elixir owned by Mr Davies
2. British Grenadier owned by Mr Bullin
3. The Dandy owned by Mr Stuart
The Monmouthshire Hunt Cup
1. Bold Davy owned by Mr W L Brewer
2. Novice owned by Captain Jones
3. Newport owned by Mr Fothergill
The Llantarnam Hurdle Stakes over 2 miles
1. Valeria owned by Mr F Jacob
2. British Grenadier owned by Mr Bullin
3. Elixir owned by Mr Davies
The Cefn Mably Purse over a mile and a half
1. Redstreak owned by Mr Evans
2. Faith owned by Mr Bullin
3. Miss Bodkin owned by Mr Tyler
I am grateful to Pat Reid for drawing my attention to the old postcard below showing Newport Caerleon Racecourse.
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the 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
