Earliest meeting: Monday 19th July 1886
Final meeting: Monday 19th July 1886
The Buckinghamshire estate of Stoke Park, near to Slough, is in the Stoke Poges area of the county. The Mansion house on the estate was designed by James Wyatt in 1788, and a century after the house was built the Park was the venue for a race meeting held on Monday 19th July 1886. The House was refitted and refurnished for the occasion to turn it into a Club House, although the course was less well prepared. The meeting could only cater for Hurdle races because the 3 mile steeplechase course, complete with 18 fences, was in fact incomplete. The main organiser, Lord Charles Ker of the Stoke Park Racing Club, called on his friends from Sandown Park, Lord Marcus Beresford and Mr Clarke to act as Steward and Judge respectively. The opening event was won by Mr G E Paget’s Bulrush ridden by Hon. George Lambton. The principal race, the Stoke Park Hurdle, was won by Mr Smith’s Redcliffe. Despite promises of a steeplechase meeting later in the year, records of such a meeting are scarce. |
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 |
