Earliest meeting: Monday 15th April 1867
Final meeting: Monday 21st April 1873
The County Durham town of Willington lies near to the River Wear and has neighbours Crook and Bishop Auckland. Its financial success was due to coal mining, but in the middle of the 19th century it also organised its own series of race meetings. The inaugural meeting was held on Monday 15th April 1867 on 3 fields at the south end of the village called The Batts. The Brancepeth Stakes was won by Mr John Harrison’s Topsy beating Artemns Ward and Maid of the Mill. The Crook Stakes was a match in which Lady Alice, the 1/3 favourite, easily landed the odds over Binchester Pet. The meeting was well supported, encouraging the management team to organise meetings for each of the next 6 years. In 1872 the course was bounded on two sides by the River Wear and this led to tragedy at the meeting on Monday 22nd April. During the first race a horse veered towards two spectators causing them to fall into the nearby River. They both got swept away and drowned. The final meeting was staged on Monday 21st April 1873 and was hit by tragedy once again when a racegoer was murdered. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 1 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Mr J Friend, Mr W C Allan, Mr P Hutchinson (Stewards) |
| Principal Races |
Willington Stakes, Brancepeth Stakes, Crook Stakes |
Monday 15th April 1867
Willington Stakes over 2 ½ miles
1. Governor, bay horse owned by Mr John Harrison
2. White Socks, aged horse owned by Mr Rawes
3. Rebecca, 5 year old owned by Mr Scott |
The final meeting took place on Monday 21st April 1873. |
| Course today |
Initially on The Batts and then a course next to the river. |
| 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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| Volume 2 South of Hatfield £14.99 + £3 postage |
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| Volume 3 Wales & Scotland £9.99 + £3 postage |
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| Volume 4 Ireland £9.99 + £3 postage |
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| Volumes 1 - 4 £54.96 + £5 postage |
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