Earliest meeting: Saturday 28th April 1821
Final meeting: Saturday 26th April 1862
It was in 1732 that the then owner of the Manor of Hoo, Sir Henry Hoo Keate, sold the manor to Margaret Brand. Her son Tom employed Lancelot Capability Brown to landscape the park and gardens, but when Tom died in 1770 the estate passed to Lord Dacre, who later became Viscount Hampden. He developed an exclusive racecourse on his estate called ‘The Hoo’ which was reserved predominantly for members of the Hertfordshire Club, and was situated at the village of Kimpton near Hitchin in Herts. It held its inaugural meeting on Saturday 28th April 1821 when the Hoo Sweepstake, over 6 furlongs, was won by Lord Verulam’s Varrenes. The Hoo County Stakes went to Mr Chauncey’s Little Munden, beating Goldfinder and Sleigh-of-Hand, while the feature Hoo Gold Cup was secured by Mr Heathecote’s Cardenio. It was probably due to it being a private meeting that results were not included in Baily's Racing Register until 1834 when Coeur de Lion swept all before him by winning the Hoo Sweepstake over 2 miles and the Gold Cup for owner Mr Latour on Saturday 5th April 1834. Meetings continued annually until the final card took place on Saturday 26th April 1862 when the Claret Stakes, for gentlemen riders over a mile and a half, was won by Mr Bevill’s Jack in the Box. The meeting concluded with the Scurry Stakes over just 4 furlongs which sent punters home happy for the last time when the 2/1 on favourite Griffin beat Erica. The Manor house was demolished in 1958 and there is little evidence of where the racecourse once stood, with new houses now built on the site.
Lord Dacre, Lord Verulam
Saturday 28th April 1821
The Hoo Sweepstake over ¾ of a mile
1. Varrennes, a bay filly owned by Lord Verulam
2. Unnamed chestnut filly by Pan owned by Mr Lomax
3. Unnamed bay filly by Alaric owned by Mr Lautour
The Hoo Gold Cup over 2 miles
1. Cardenio, a bay horse owned by Mr Heathcote
2. Veterinarian, a bay gelding owned by Lord Verulam
3. Rob Roy, a bay gelding owned by Mr Lomax
Hoo County Stakes over 2 miles
1. Little Munden, a bay colt owned by Mr Chauncey
2. Goldfinder, a bay colt owned by Mr King
3. Slight-of-Hand, a chestnut mare owned by Mr Lautour
Saturday 24th April 1824
The Hoo Gold Cup over 2 miles
1. Vargas owned by Lord Verulam
2. Rein Deer owned by Mr Heathcote
3. Vaurien owned by Lord Verulam
The Hoo County Stakes over a mile and a half
1. Unnamed colt by Quizzer owned by Lord Dacre
2. Unnamed filly by Pan owned by Mr Graeme
The Hoo Club Stakes Handicap over a mile
1. Rein Deer owned by Mr Heathcote
2. Monimia owned by Mr Pickford
3. Fortune-Teller owned by Mr Whyte
Saturday 5th April 1834
The Hoo Sweepstakes over 2 miles
1. Coeur de Lion owned by Mr Latour
2. Cecil owned by Mr D.Ratcliffe
The Hoo Gold Cup over 2 miles donated by the Ladies of the county
1. Coeur de Lion owned by Mr Latour
The Hoo Hunters Stakes over a mile
1. Scott’s Foot owned by Mr Bevan
2. Norman owned by Mr Brand
3. Butterfly owned by Mr Webber
The Hoo Farmers Purse
1. Adah owned by Mr Nightingale
2. Rosebud owned by Mr Webb
3. Duport owned by Mr J Hill
James Whyte’s History of the British Turf notes that racing began at The Hoo in 1821, when the meeting was organised by The Hertfordshire Club on an estate owned by the Right Honorable Lord Dacre, and records the April 1839 races as:-
The Hoo Hunters’ Stakes
Lord Dacre
John Cary (1754-1835) was an English cartographer who published his atlas, The New and Correct English Atlas, in 1787. In 1794 he was commissioned by the Postmaster General to survey all English roads. The map shown below is an extract from his 1794 work.
It was in 1732 that the then owner of the Manor of Hoo, Sir Henry Hoo Keate, sold the manor to Margaret Brand. Her son, Tom, employed Lancelot Capability Brown to landscape the park and gardens. When Tom died in 1770 the estate passed to Lord Dacre, who later became Viscount Hampden in 1884.
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:-
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
