Earliest meeting: Tuesday 13th June 1732
Final meeting: Thursday 1st November 1855
The North Yorkshire town of Selby lies on the River Ouse some 22 kilometres south of the city of York. Historically the town was part of West Yorkshire and enjoyed a large ship building industry. The earliest record of a race in the town was on Tuesday 13th June 1732, the meeting being included in John Cheny's Historical List, while just 7 years later, on Tuesday 3rd July 1739, the Selby Plate was won by Mr John Cusin’s Sweet Lips. A two day meeting took place on Tuesday 5th and Thursday 7th August 1755, when on day one Mr Ridsdale’s Lass of the Mill merely had to walk over to claim the £50 Purse. Two days later a similar Purse saw Mr Swinburn’s Mary Scott defeat Mr Mann’s Neptune. Racing did return to the town exactly 100 years after that inaugural meeting, although the reincarnation was short lived. The final meeting took place on Thursday 1st November 1855. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 1 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Mr Mann, Mr Ridsdale, Mr Swinburn |
| Principal Races |
Selby Plate, Selby Purse |
Tuesday 13th June 1732
Selby 10 Guineas Purse
1. TINKER, black gelding owned by Mr Hassel 3 1 1
2. SWEETLIPS, grey mare owned by Mr Sellers 1 2 2
3. UNNAMED bay mare owned by Mr Witham 4 3 3
4. BADGER, grey gelding owned by Mr Harrison 2 dist
5. PROTESTANT DICK, chestnut horse owned by Mr Dawson 5 dist
5 ran |
Tuesday 5th - Thursday 7th August 1755 |
Tuesday 5th August 1755 Selby Fifty Pounds Purse
1. Lass of the Mill owned by Mr Ridsdale walked over
Thursday 7th August 1755 Fifty Pounds Purse
1. Mary Scot owned by Mr Swinburn
2. Neptune owned by Mr Mann |
Racing did return to the town exactly 100 years after the last meeting, although the reincarnation was short lived. The final meeting took place on 1st November 1855. |
| Course today |
On Selby Common. |
| If you have photos, postcards, racecards. badges, newspaper cuttings or book references about the old course, or can provide a photo of how the ground on which the old racecourse stood looks today, then email johnwslusar@gmail.com |
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 |
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ISBN 978-0-9957632-0-3
652 pages
774 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-1-0
352 pages
400 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-2-7
180 pages
140 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-3-4
264 pages
235 former courses |
| Copies of the above books are only available by emailing johnwslusar@gmail.com stating your requirements, method of payment (cheque payable to W.Slusar) or Bank transfer, and the address where the book(s) should be sent. |
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