One of the earliest records of racing taking place near Windsor was on 24th August 1684 when Charles II attended the races at Datchet Ferry. In the middle of the 18th century Windsor frequently offered £50 prizes often sponsored by the local corporation. Racing certainly took place in 1744, 1745, 1747, 1766 and 1769. There appears to have been a lull in racing at Windsor, with nearby Ascot playing a more prominent role in the racing calendar. However, in December 1840 a steeplechase meeting was staged in the vicinity of Windsor between Fyfield and Oakley Green, although the main race was restricted to members of the Royal Household Brigade when Amazon defeated Nimrod and 10 others by a comfortable 50 yards. This was the forerunner of the Royal Military and Annual Steeplechases which were launched in 1843 under the stewardship of HRH Prince George of Cambridge. The card for the 6th Annual meeting, taking place from Monday 27th to Tuesday 28th March 1848, is shown below. The course started in a meadow to the right of the Windsor Road, near to Clewer House, followed by a dry ditch which led to a second and third paddock bordering the Great Park. The result of the Handicap on day two is also shown below. The next occasion racing was reported near Windsor was in 1860 on Windsor Great Park, and within 6 years the present figure of eight course at Rays Meadow was opened on Tuesday 5th June 1866. Windsor was the scene of a famous event in 1926, the year of the General Strike, when the bookmakers went on strike by refusing to bet in protest at the introduction of Betting Tax. The move had the desired effect and the Betting Tax law was repealed. During the War years the unusual step was taken to allow Windsor to continue to race. Windsor is well known for hosting popular Monday night meetings during the summer months, the first of which was held in 1964. Currently hosts 27 fixtures annually.
Tuesday 28th March 1848
Windsor Royal Military & Annual Handicap over 4 miles
1. British Yeoman, bay gelding owned by Mr G Howard and ridden by Jem Mason
2. St Leger, brown gelding owned and ridden by the Earl of Strathmore
3. Mushroom, brown gelding owned and ridden by Captain Harvey
4. The Chandler, owned and ridden by Captain W Peel
The Surrey town of Egham first staged a three day meeting from Monday 5th to Wednesday 7th September 1774 which opened with a Subscription race over 4 mile heats. In the first heat Mr Belson’s Don Dun had to settle for third behind Zamora, but gained revenge by winning the next two heats, so claiming the Purse. The prestigious Town Plate on day two went to Mr Wildman’s Marsk (sic), while the Ladies Plate on the final day was won by Mr Wildman’s Wanton. The three day meeting from Wednesday 4th to Friday 6th September 1782 proved to be exceptional for the Duke of Queensberry, a loyal supporter of the course. He won the Egham Town Plate with Guido, and followed it up by securing the Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Purse with Henley two days later. In the early 19th century the course was an oval, entirely flat course, of 66 yards short of 2 miles. Meetings continued to be well run and supported by a loyal group of followers until a final card was held on Wednesday 20th August 1884. Whenever a large crowd congregates there is always the potential for rowdiness, unruly behaviour and pickpockets. Egham suffered from this problem more than most other courses and after the 1884 meeting the London Police decided not to allocate sufficient manpower to control the problem and, as a consequence, Egham closed.
Friday 6th September 1782
Egham Noblemen and Gentlemen’s Purse over 4 miles
1. Henley owned by the Duke of Queensberry
2. Copperbottom owned by Captain Houre
3. Pleasant owned by Mr Sparrow
I am grateful to Vinny Hinde for the magnificent, and rare, sets of Matched Trios for both 1922 and 1923 shown below:-
An extraordinary meeting took place on Wednesday 3rd November 1926 when Tattersalls Ring bookmakers declined to make any bets. Although some betting carried on in the Silver Ring, with many punters crossing between rings to place their bets, the market was not recognised for returning SPs and there was no alternative except to return ‘no betting’. Thus, all bets placed off course were made void, and the racing industry lost both financially and in goodwill. For the record, winners at the meeting were:-
Black Nest Handicap (£176) over 6 furlongs was won by Niloak (J Marshall)
Mill Plate (£187) over 5 furlongs was won by Bohemia (Steve Donoghue)
Clarence Handicap (£529) over 1 ½ miles was won by Astre d’Or (Charlie Smirke)
Rays Handicap (£187) over 1 mile was won by Mat McGlue (Cliff Richards)
Frogmore Nursery (£450) over 5 furlongs was won by Orbitta (Charlie Smirke)
Apprentices Stakes (£184) over 1 ½ miles was won by Lady Lawless (Swaby)
The rare handbill shown below is provided courtesy of the Robert Shaw collection.
The front cover/ principal races from these rare racecards are provided courtesy of the Robert Shaw collection.
1965 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Mabel (1/5 fav), trained by Peter Walwyn and ridden by Jimmy Lindley
1966 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Polmak (1/10 fav), trained by Harry Thomson Jones and ridden by Lester Piggott
1967 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Drevno (11/2), trained by Freddie Maxwell and ridden by Greville Starkey
1968 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Chasmarella (8/13 fav), trained by Tommy Gosling and ridden by Lester Piggott
1970 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Merioneth (100/9), trained by Bruce Hobbs and ridden by John Gorton
1971 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Knockroe (Evens fav), trained by Peter Nelson and ridden by Lester Piggott
1972 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Parnell (4/11 fav), trained by Bernard Van Cutsem and ridden by Wille Carson
1973 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Sol’Argent (4/11 fav), trained by Tommy Gosling and ridden by Paul Cook
1975 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Orange Bay (4/11 fav), trained by Peter Walwyn and ridden by Pat Eddery
1976 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Amboise (1/4 fav), trained by Henry Cecil and ridden by Alan Bond
1977 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Fool’s Mate (4/5 fav), trained by Henry Cecil and ridden by Joe Mercer
1978 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Malecite (1/2 fav), trained by Henry Cecil and ridden by Joe Mercer
1980 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Masked Marvel (2/11 fav), trained by Henry Cecil and ridden by Joe Mercer
1981 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Royal Fountain (2/9 fav), trained by Peter Walwyn and ridden by Joe Mercer
1982 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Brady (4/6 fav), trained by Mick Ryan and ridden by Philip Robinson
1983 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Millfontaine (4/9 fav), trained by Guy Harwood and ridden by Greville Starkey
1985 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Regal Diplomat (9/4), trained by Alec Stewart and ridden by Pat Eddery
1986 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Samarid (7/1) and Esdale (13/8 fav) dead heated; Samarid was trained by Michael Stoute and ridden by Walter Swinburn, while Esdale was trained by Jeremy Tree and ridden by Pat Eddery
1987 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Media Starguest (7/1), trained by Luca Cumani and ridden by Ray Cochrane
1988 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Hibernian Gold (4/1), trained by Guy Harwood and ridden by Greville Starkey
1990 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Song of Sixpence (11/4), trained by Ian Balding and ridden by Steve Cauthen
1991 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Filia Ardross (7/1), trained by Alec Stewart and ridden by Richard Hills
1992 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Shuailaan (2/1), trained by Alec Stewart and ridden by Michael Roberts
1993 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Usaidit (7/1), trained by Terry Mills and ridden by John Reid
1995 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Desert Shot (12/1), trained by Michael Stoute and ridden by Walter Swinburn
1996 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Annus Mirabilis (85/40), trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Frankie Dettori
1997 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Annus Mirabilis (11/8 fav), trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Frankie Dettori
1998 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Annus Mirabilis (5/4 fav), trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Daragh O’Donohoe
1999 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Zindabad (7/4 fav), trained by Ben Hanbury and ridden by Kieren Fallon
2000 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Adilabad (6/4 fav), trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Pat Eddery
2001 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Adilabad (9/2), trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Kieren Fallon
2002 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Naheef (6/4 fav), trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Frankie Dettori
2003 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Leporello (5/2), trained by Peter Harris and ridden by Richard Quinn
2004 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Ancient World (5/1), trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Kerrin McEvoy
2005 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Eccentric (7/1), trained by Andrew Reid and ridden by Darryll Holland
2006 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Tam Lin (5/2 fav), trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Ryan Moore
2007 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Queen’s Best (8/1), trained by Sir Michael Stoute and ridden by Ryan Moore
2008 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Stotsfold (5/1), trained by Walter Swinburn and ridden by Adam Kirby
2009 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Camponologist (11/10 fav), trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Frankie Dettori
2010 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Distant Memories (6/1), trained by Tom Tate and ridden by Jamie Spencer
2011 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Prince Siegfried (14/1), trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by Ted Durcan
2012 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Lay Time (4/1), trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by Jimmy Fortune
2013 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Planteur (1/2 fav), trained by Marco Botti and ridden by Frankie Dettori
2014 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Al Kazeem (8/11 fav), trained by Roger Charlton and ridden by George Baker
2015 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Racing History (9/2), trained by Saeed bin Suroor and ridden by William Buick
2016 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Chain of Daisies (15/2), trained by Henry Candy and ridden by Fergus Sweeney
2017 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Fabricate (11/2), trained by Michael Bell and ridden by Gerald Mosse
2018 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Fabricate (11/10 fav), trained by Michael Bell and ridden by James Doyle
2019 The Winter Hill Stakes was won by Desert Encounter (4/1), owned by Abdulla Al Mansoori, trained by David Simcock and ridden by Jamie Spencer
