Earliest meeting: Tuesday 17th July 1722
Final meeting: Thursday 3rd April 1862
The Warwickshire market town of Rugby, on the River Avon, is widely regarded as the place where the game of Rugby was invented. It lies 13 miles east of Coventry and, although in Warwickshire, it is located close to the borders of both Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. In the early-1700s the town had its own racecourse; the Stamford Mercury advertsied a 3 day meeting from Tuesday 17th to Thursday 19th July 1722 and an extract from that paper is shown below. About 30 years later the ‘Historical List of Horse-Matches Run in 1751’ recorded a 2 day meeting held in the town from Thursday 27th to Friday 28th June 1751. Lord Chadworth’s White Stockings won the £50 Purse on the opening day, while the Sir Charles Sedley owned True Blue was successful in the Real Hunters Plate on the second day. A follow-up two day meeting was staged the next year on Tuesday 23rd June, when Crab won the Weight for Age Purse for Captain Vernon, while on Wednesday 24th June 1752 Little David caused an upset in the Hunters Purse beating Fox and Smart. Meetings were held on a very regular basis for the next century, the town becoming famous for its steeplechase races. A number of meetings were organised by the Rugby Hunt Committee at Clifton-on-Dunsmore, about 2 miles east of the town, culminating in the National Hunt Cup over 4 miles being won by Fidget on Thursday 3rd April 1862.
The town also was host to a number of meetings organised by the Rugby Hunt Committee, and these are described in a separate page on this site, and can be accessed using the link:- http://www.greyhoundderby.com/Rugby%20Hunt%20Racecourse.html
The newspaper extract below is shown courtesy of the Stamford Mercury and British Library Online, advertising a 3 day meeting at Rugby in 1722.
Thursday 27th June 1751
Rugby £50 Purse
1. White Stockings, chestnut gelding owned by Lord Chadworth 1 1
2. Monument, chestnut gelding owned by Mr Tutin 2 3
3. Arthur of Bradley, chestnut gelding owned by Mr Bradley 5 2
4. Colesby, grey mare owned by Mr Dawkins 3 dist
5. Homefly, chestnut owned by Mr Newark 4 dist
Friday 28th June 1751
Rugby Real Hunters’ Plate
1. True Blue, bay gelding owned by Sir Charles Sidley 1 1
2. Rawhead & Bloody Bones, bay gelding owned by Mr Churchill 2 2
3. Random, brown gelding owned by Mr Phillips dist
23rd June 1752
Rugby £50 Weight for Age Purse
1. Crab, grey horse owned by Captain Vernon
2. Sultana, chestnut mare owned by Lord Cullen
3. Sprightley, chestnut gelding owned by Mr Jones
24th June 1752
Rugby 50 Guineas Hunters Purse
1. Little David, bay gelding owned by Mr Gare
2. Fox, dun horse owned by Mr Gregory
3. Smart, bay gelding owned by Mr Lister
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
