Earliest meeting: Thursday 20th September 1821
Final meeting: Monday 28th September 1882
The Dorsetshire town of Weymouth first held races on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st September 1821 when Blandford beat Elsie Deans in the Town Plate, gaining revenge for an earlier defeat by the same horse in the Weight for Age Purse. The following day Blandford was once again triumphant in the Members’ Plate. Within a year the 2 day meeting included a Gold Cup which, in its inaugural running, was won by Mr Portal’s Sting. The racecourse was an entirely flat, round course of just a mile in circumference with a straight of 2 ½ furlongs located at Lodmoor. Races continued to be popular for a number of years, especially on Thursday 7th September 1865 when over 3000 attended. It was the occasion when the Manor Cup, donated by the young Baronet Sir F Johnstone, was contested for the first time over 1 ¼ miles. There was a massive entry of 24, including Historian owned by Sir F Johnstone, but it was won by Sir E Baker’s colt by Voltigeur. In the late 1870s crowds and entries started to decrease, so much so that at the September 1881 meeting only 4 runners contested the Dorsetshire Stakes won by Topsy, while just 5 entered the Hurdle race won by Susquetana. The final meeting took place on Monday 28th September 1882.
Thursday 20th September 1821
Weymouth Weight for Age over 2 ½ miles
1. Effie Deans, a bay mare owned by Mr Radclyffe
2. Garus, a bay gelding owned by Mr Farquharson
3. Blandford, a bay colt owned by Mr Fleming
Weymouth Town Plate over 2 ½ miles
1. Blandford, a bay colt owned by Mr Fleming
2.Effie Deans owned by Mr Radclyffe
3. Unnamed bay filly, sister to Venture owned by Mr Farquharson
Friday 21st September 1821
Weymouth Members Plate over 2 ½ miles
1. Blandford owned by Mr Fleming
2. Venture, a bay colt owned by Mr Maberly
Weymouth Ladies Plate over 1 ½ miles
1. Elastic, a bay horse owned by Mr Biggs
2. Garus, a bay gelding owned by Mr Farquharson
3. Venture owned by Mr Maberly
Thursday 29th to Friday 30th August 1822
Weymouth Gold Cup over 2 ½ miles
1. Sting owned by Mr Portal
2. Sir Huldibrand owned by Mr Mills
3. Surprise owned by Mr Fellowes
Weymouth Members Plate over 2 ½ miles
1. Surprise owned by Mr Fellowes
The Weymouth Tradesmen’s Selling Plate over 2 ½ miles
1. Sting owned by Mr Portal
Thursday 9th September to Saturday 11th September 1824
Weymouth Members Plate over 2 and a half miles
1. Champion owned by Mr Farquharson
2. Prosody owned by Mr Worth
Weymouth Silver Cup over 2 miles and 1 furlong
1. Philip owned by Mr Weatherell
2. Grimace owned by Mr Worth
3. Evergreen owned by Mr Friend
Wednesday 29th to Thursday 30th August 1838
The Mount Harriers Stakes over a mile
1. Queen of the Valley owned by Mr J Harding
2. Merriman owned by Mr Davies
3. Caroline owned by Mr G Harding
Her Majesty’s Plate over 2 miles
1. I Wish You May Get It owned by Mr Fulwar Craven
2. Chapeau d’Espagne owned by Lord George Bentinck
3. Arctic owned by Mr Galpin
The Lodmoor Stakes over a mile and a half
1. Logic owned by Mr J Finch
2. Clara owned by Mr Biggs
3. Black-and-All-Black owned by Mr Senior
James Whyte’s History of the British Turf notes that Weymouth races began in 1821 and records the August 1839 races as :-
Weymouth Queens Plate;
Weymouth Members Plate.
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
