Earliest meeting: Monday 18th August 1851
Final meeting: Tuesday 3rd August 1869
The Birmingham suburb of Sparkbrook is in the south of the city near to Billesley Common. It first staged a 2 day race meeting on Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th August 1851 on a course spread over 3 fields at the rear of the Angel Inn on Highgate Road. The course was an interesting one with just a 1000 yard circumference making it a very tight circuit of less than 4 ½ furlongs. There followed a 3 day meeting from Monday 15th to Wednesday 17th August 1853 billed as ‘Birmingham & Sparkbrook Races’ which enjoyed a large attendance in excess of 15,000. On such a tight circuit there were always accidents waiting to happen, and they frequently did at this meet. By the time of the 1857 races a further field had been added to the course, meaning it had extended to three quarters of a mile. The opening Birmingham Stakes fell to Mr Owen’s Blink Bonny, while the Sparkbrook Stakes went to Our Jim. The final time races were recorded in this area took place on a course on Ladypool Lane from Monday 2nd to Tuesday 3rd August 1869. Two racegoers were injured again and this spelt the end of racing in Sparkbrook. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 1 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Mr Parker (Steward), Mr F Nichols (Judge) |
| Principal Races |
Highgate Stakes, Sparkbrook Stakes, Ladypool Lane Stakes |
Tuesday 4th August 1857
Sparkbrook Stakes over 2 ¼ miles
1. Our Jim, aged horse owned by Mr Hurst
2. Blink Bonny, bay mare owned by Mr Owen
3. Peter Snipe, aged horse owned by Mr Page |
| The final meeting took place on Tuesday 3rd August 1869. |
| Course today |
Initially behind the Angel Inn and latterly off Ladypool Road. |
| 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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