Pond House Stables is located in Exning, on the outskirts of Newmarket, close to Harraton Court Stables and Queen Alexandra Stables. Kenneth Clutterbuck purchased Pond House at the start of the new millennium and trained there for a number of years, ably supported at times by his son James. Kenneth was also a popular, well-respected landlord of a public house in the vicinity of the Stables.
For over 4 centuries racing has been staged in Newmarket, but how have the racecourses evolved from an initial starting point at Fleam Dyke Pumping Station, some 8 miles from the town, with a winning post barely 200 metres from the town centre, into two world recognized, excellent racecourses and a universal acceptance that Newmarket is the Headquarters of racing?
To access an interactive racecourse map showing over 50 individually named racecourses CLICK HERE. The map will enable you to:-
1. Determine when extended races over 8 miles, 6 miles and 4 miles began to be replaced by the courses now visited by thousands annually;
2. Consider how the challenge of crossing the Devil's Dyke was overcome;
3. Contemplate why the town no longer has a steeplechase course despite having at least 5 courses during the past 2 centuries;
4. Examine the practicalities of having up to 48 starting posts and winning posts;
5. Appreciate that it was not financially viable to have an open racecourse spread widely across the heath, with a finishing post barely 200 metres from the town centre;
6. Research how and why the Cambridgeshire Handicap has been contested over 3 different courses.
NOTE: The map does not make mention of 2 particular courses:-
(i) Sefton Course (also known as the Cambridge Road Course)
Source: 1970 Raceform.Used from 1959 to 1975.
(ii) New Circular Course
The Circular Handicap was run on Friday 29th October 1875 on the New Circular Course of about two miles.
Source: London Standard (30th October 1875): ''the horses started near the Turn of the Lands, ran back way of the Cambridgeshire Course towards the Ditch, and afterwards proceeded down the side of the Tan Gallop, and turned into the Rowley Mile near the Bretby Stakes starting post, finishing at the stand at the end of the flat. Except in the hollow near the Cambridgeshire start the runners should have been visible all the way if the sky had been bright and clear''.
Another report hoped that the Circular Handicap would become a feature in future programmes, as it would be contested in front of the new grandstand which would be completed in about a year and would be able to accommodate thousands.
(I am grateful to Tim Cox for bringing attention to these 2 courses.)
Enjoy researching the intriguing history of Newmarket and its many racecourses.
On 9th March 2011 Stoneacre Gareth, the 11/4 fav, contested the Breathe Spa at Lingfield Marriott Handicap over 7 furlongs when trained by Kenneth Clutterbuck and ridden by Adam Kirby. The winner of the race was Potavium Prince (9/2) trained by Miss Jo Crowley and ridden by Dane O'Neill, defeating Signora Frasi (11/1) and Tuscan King (15/2), with Stoneacre Gareth back in fourth. It was alleged that James Clutterbuck had passed inside information on to someone, for which he was found guilty by the BHA in 2013. James was subsequently warned off for 26 months in 2013, a ban which prevented him from entering Pond House Stables for the duration of the ban. However, on 2 occasions when BHA inspectors visited the stables they concluded that James was working at the stables, and after a hearing Kenneth Clutterbuck had his licence to train suspended for 5 years from November 2014.
2022-present Kenneth Clutterbuck
Kenneth continued in his role as landlord of The Shoes public house and, in November 2019, having served his ban, Kenneth proposed to resume his training career at Pond House stables. In the interim his daughter, Emma-Jane, had gained useful experience assisting trainer Hugo Palmer, and was in a position to assist her father at Pond House Stables. By 2023 Kenneth was listed by the Jockey Club, alongside Peter Charalambous, as trainers at Pond House.
Peter Charalambous was training at Calder Park Stables in 2010 and over a 4-year period trained 28 winners, including the mare Boonga Roogeta, who won 9 of her 23 races. In 2012 she began in humble Class 6 events, but after recording 2 long winning sequences she was contesting Class 1 and Listed races mid-way through 2013. By 2014 Peter still had 10 horses in the yard. In 2023 Peter was listed as trainer, alongside Kenneth Clutterbuck, at Pond House.
