Earliest meeting: Saturday 7th March 1931
Final meeting: Saturday 22nd April 1939
The first recorded meeting took place at Salisbury Plain Racecourse in 1931 on a course situated at Windmill Hill near Tidworth which was previously a Neolithic Causeway. The races were organised by a Committee called the Salisbury Plain Race Club who leased the land from the War Office. The course, a circumference of a mile and three quarters, enjoyed the benefit of 198 acres of open ground. In 1931, after the inaugural meeting was such a success a second meeting took place on Saturday 14th March, opening with the Royal Artillery race which went to Mr P R Henderson’s Hinode who defeated the odds on 4/5 favourite The Ghazi. The feature race, the Tidworth Open Cup, was won by Golden Light, owned by Sir Guy Cunard, on 16th March 1932. The Challenge Cup continues to be awarded each each to the jockey aboard the winner of the Grand Miltary Gold Cup now held at Sandown Park. By 1937 five days of racing were offered, starting on Saturday 6th March with a 2nd Cavalry Brigade meeting, and extending to the Bona-fide Military meeting on Saturday 17th April. The meetings were brought to a close just before the War, but not before an impressive six days of racing were staged in 1939, culminating in a meeting on Saturday 22nd April 1939.
Saturday 14th March 1931
RASC Heavyweight Challenge Cup
1. Kingsley, aged horse owned by Major P A Arden
2. Countess V, aged mare owned by Captain E A Wanton
3. Lorna Doone VII, aged mare owned by Captain Smith
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
