Earliest meeting: March 1760
Final meeting: Thursday 1st April 1909
There is evidence of racing in Lincolnshire before 1760, as the Historical List of Races of 1760 reported that Plates previously run at Louth were discontinued. Louth is a market town within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire and is commonly known as the capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds, today boasting a population just short of 16,000. It is on the River Lud and its claim to fame is that it lies on the Greenwich Meridian. Moving forward almost 80 years, the first occasion that races were billed as Louth and South Wold Steeplechases was in 1838, a relationship which lasted for over 70 years. The Louth racecourse was said to be particularly challenging and included Hallington Brook, every bit as challenging as the more illustrious Becher’s Brook. The South Wold Hunt was a very nomadic group, hosting races at Louth, Brackenborough, Hallington and Horncastle. However, it did go through a torrid period in the late 1860s, particulary at the meeting held on Stanmore Hill on Friday 16th April 1869. The press were scathing in commenting, ‘ The meeting was a faint resemblance of what the South Wold Steeplechases have been in the past, with missing characters, small fields and two walk-overs’. However, the main race of the day, the United Hunt Stakes, did have a decent field and was won by Mr J J Clarke’s Royal Vale. In 1890 the Committee sought a change of venue from their two well-chosen courses and opted for a course just a mile from Louth in Brackenborough. The course, with a circumference of a mile and a half, was left handed with a furlong and a half run in. South Wold Hunt steeplechases continued to be held at the ‘new’ Louth course, alternating with nearby Horncastle, although the final meeting at Horncastle was staged on Wednesday 15th April 1903, while the last at Brackenborough took place on Thursday 13th April 1905. South Wold Hunt held its final meeting under rules on Thursday 1st April 1909, continuing for many years afterwards as a point to point meeting. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 1 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Lady Berner, Captain J D Edwards, Mr Grantham |
| Principal Races |
South Wold Hunt Chase, Keddington Chase, Southwold Hunters Stakes |
Wednesday 11th September 1833 |
Southwold Town Plate over 2 miles
1. Lady Charlotte owned by Mr Munro
2. Unnamed colt by Oscar owned by Lady Berner
Southwold Hunters Stakes over 2 miles
1. Ploughboy owned by Mr Smith
2. Young Tristram owned by Mr Pierson
3. Atlas owned by Mr Blake |
Thursday 10th March 1836 |
Louth Stakes
1. Bumpkin owned by Mr W Whiteworth
2. Heathen owned by Mr Nicholson
3. Madcap owned by Mr Grantham |
Friday 16th April 1869
United Hunt Stakes over 3 miles
1. Royal Vale, chestnut gelding owned by Mr J J Clarke
2. Swinhope, brown gelding owned by Mr G A Oliver
3. Prosperine, bay mare owned by Mr G Walker |
| The final meeting took place on Thursday 1st April 1909. |
| Course today |
At a range of courses from Louth and Brackenborough to Horncastle. |
| 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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