Earliest meeting: Tuesday 15th April 1856
Final meeting: Tuesday 15th April 1856
The earliest date on which racing took place in the Hampshire district of Hambledon was in 1791 at Soberton Downs when races were organised by Hambledon Foxhound Committee. It was not until 1824 that the Sporting Magazine and Racing Calendar included results from those meetings. Throughout the 1850s and 1860s the Hambledon Hunt meetings continued at a range of courses. One of the courses they used in 1856 was at Wickham, a village on the River Meon about 3 miles north of Fareham which was, in Roman Times, in a strategically important position on the road between Chichester and Winchester. The sole meeting was staged on Tuesday 15th April 1856 after which the Hambledon Hunt Group switched their attention back to Soberton Downs before moving on to Waterloo and Droxford. The course was on the edge of the village on newly ploughed fields rendered exceedingly heavy by persistent rain. Attendance at the meeting was large despite the boisterous state of the weather, with vehicles of every description winding their way to the outskirts of the village.The Hambledon Hunt Steeplechase was won by Mr Wall’s The Wreck, while the United Hunt Chase saw Mr Lywood’s Gadfly beat The Kaffir and Countess. The concluding Scurry Stakes went to Hercules.

Mr C B Smith (Steward), Mr Wall, Mr Lywood

Tuesday 15th April 1856
Hambledon Hunt Steeplechase over 4 miles
1. The Wreck, bay mare owned by Mr Wall
2. Charlie, grey gelding owned by Mr Smith
3. The Emperor, chestnut gelding owned by Mr Clark

On the edge of the village across ploughed fields rendered exceedingly heavy.

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

A Long Time Gone by Chris Pitt first published in 1996 ISBN 0 900599 89 8

Racing Calendars which were first published in 1727

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