Earliest meeting: Monday 30th July 1855
Final meeting: Friday 13th August 1869
The Devon district of Teignbridge lies close to Newton Abbot and along with the nearby towns and villages of Ashburton, Dawlish and Teignmouth it formed what was known as the Teignbridge Hundred. The area organised its own 2 day race meeting on Monday 30th and Tuesday 31st July 1855 on Teign Canal Meadows. It was deemed a success and a similar two day meeting occurred the next year on Monday 28th and Tuesday 29th July 1856 also on Canal Meadows, close to the town of Newton Abbot. The card opened with the Sandford Orleigh Purse over 1 ¾ miles which fell to Mr Mead’s Greenfinch. The Torquay Steeplechase Plate followed, while the feature Teignbridge Plate was won by Trap for Mr Menhinnick. Although meetings held under the banner of ‘Teignbridge Races’ lapsed after the 1856 meeting, Ashburton, Dawlish and Teignmouth later organised more successful race meetings in their own right. In 1868 there was a revival meeting billed as the ‘Newton and Teignbridge Races’ which took place on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th August 1868. The large crowd were entertained between races by the Newton Rifle Band, and the feature Teignbridge Stakes went to Forest King. The meeting was repeated the next year on Thursday 12th and Friday 13th August 1869. Once again racing lapsed for 18 years before another 2 years of racing to celebrate the Jubilee began initially on Wednesday 22nd June 1887. However, the races were of an inferior quality and also contained pony racing. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 2 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Captain Munro, Mr W M P Coleman (Steward) |
| Principal Races |
Teignbridge Plate, Torquay Steeplechase Plate |
Tuesday 29th July 1856
Teignbridge Plate over 1 ½ miles
1. Trap, bay colt owned by Mr Menhinnick
2. Maid of all Work, bay mare owned by Mr William Simmons
3. Lady Jane, bay mare owned by Mr Wills |
The only recorded meeting took place on Friday 13th August 1869. |
| Course today |
A 2 mile course on Canal Meadows, close to Newton Abbot. |
| 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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