The Pitfour Estate, near Mintlaw and south of the village of Strichen, was in the Buchan area of north-east Scotland, and once extended from St Fergus to New Pitsligo encompassing 50 square miles of land. It was first purchased by James Ferguson as early as 1700, making him the Laird of Pitfour. At the centre of the estate was Pitfour House, a lavish Mansion inhabited by successive generations of Fergusons.
In the middle of the 18th century George Ferguson paid for a Flat racecourse to be built near White Cow Woods, with a perimeter of 2.2 miles and a width of 52 feet, it was so impressive that it was referred to as the ‘Ascot of the North’. Racing was certainly taking place at the private course in the 1750s, while in 1845 a 50 foot tall octagonal observation tower, with crenelated parapets, was built by the architect John Smith. Although George was a frugal, wealthy man, his wealth passed to his illegitimate son who was extravagant. As a consequence much of the Mansion was demolished, and the Estate had to be sold after the end of the First World War. The racecourse was still marked on Ordnance Survey maps in 1925, although by then it was disused, and in 1926 the racecourse was forested. Unfortunately no results from any of the race meetings exist.
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
