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BERMUDA RACECOURSE |  |
| Racing is known to have taken place on the
island of Bermuda at one stage, with races regularly being staged at the Shelly Bay race
track. The races were, for the majority of the time, organised by the British Military personnel and included flat racing, particularly sprints, and hurdle races. The principal race was the St George's Stakes last recorded as taking place on 28th January 1846. |
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| By 1965 the racecourse had closed but the
Bermuda Jockey Club renewed its efforts to re-introduce racing onto the island. The Royal
Gazette reported 'The directors of Bermuda JC determined to press on with their efforts to
revive racing at the Shelly Bay track despite objections from some sections of the
public'. They were contemplating trotting races and even thought night racing to be a
possibility. However, a year before, in 1964, the same paper suggested 'Night race
meetings to be detrimental to the general peace and quiet of the neighbourhood and as
constituting a strong threat to the amenities of an essentially residential district'. The Jockey Club then saw the potential of introducing greyhound racing into the area. However, a short time later their headline read 'The Track that went to the dogs-because of dogs'; indicating that the track had become rundown because of the locals use of the area to walk, water and fully relieve their dogs. Today no races exist on the island although there is still harness racing held in the National Equestrian Centre. Very grateful thanks to Rev. Martin Ashworth for his hospitality, Bishop Patrick White and his wife Elizabeth for their friendship, and the librarians at the Bermuda National Library for their helpfulness in constructing this article. |
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| If you have badges, racecards, pictures of the racecourse or further details about the course, including your memories, then email johnslusar@fsmail.net | ||