NEWBURY

  Badges through the decades

Brief History

The inaugural meeting at Newbury was held on the 26th and 27th September and attracted a crowd in excess of 15,000. The winner of the first race was 100/7 shot Copper King. It was built on land owned by L.H.Baxendale and he became the Chairman of Newbury Racecourse Company. It had been John Porters idea to build a racecourse to serve the many training establishments in the area, but his early attempt was thwarted when the Jockey Club turned down his application. Fortunately King Edward VII got wind of this and gave his application the boost it needed.

1906

The Newbury Spring Cup comes into being and is won by Succory. The Autumn Cup, over 2 miles 1 furlong, is won by The White Knight.

1908

The first running of the Summer Cup, with Spate winning.

1909

King Edward VII's Minoru, carrying 9st 10lbs, wins the Greenham Stakes, a race which had been established 3 years earlier. He goes on to win the 2000 Guineas and the Derby.

1916-18

The course becomes an inspection depot for the War Office.

1919

Newbury's first meeting after the War.

1922

John Porter, the driving force behind Newbury racecourse and its Managing Director, dies.

1941-45

The substitue Derby was planned for Newbury in 1940, but the War effort prevented this from happening. The course is left close to ruin after the Second World War when used by the Americans as a marshalling yard. Twenty-two miles of sidings left their mark.

1949

Racing resumes on All Fools' Day and Geoffrey Freer becomes Clerk of the Course.

1966

The Geoffrey Freer stand and new members grandstand are completed and opened.