Newmarket Racecourse

History of Newmarket Racecourse:

The history of the Newmarket Racecourse is illustrious and long, with it being one of the oldest racecourses not only in Britain, but also in the world. The racecourse was founded all the way back in 1636.

King Charles II twice made history at the Newmarket Racecourse. The first instance was in around 1665, when he inaugurated the Newmarket Town Plate before going on to become the first and only reigning British monarch to ride a winning horse in 1671, whilst participating in this very event.

In the early days of the racecourse there were two racing events that were the most valuable at Newmarket, which were the King’s Plate and the Town Plate with a prize fund of 50 guineas. This was the case until 1744. Back in these days, race meetings only happened twice a year – in April and October.

Over the course of the next few decades, several new meetings were added. These were a second Spring Meeting (1753), a second October meeting (1762), the July Meeting (1765), the Houghton Meeting in (1770) and finally the Craven Meeting in 1771.

By the mid-19th century, or more specifically 1840, the Newmarket Racecourse was only going from strength to strength with a total of 7 meetings taking place at the racecourse annually.

These were: The Craven Meeting (Inaugurated in 1771), 1st Spring Meeting (Inaugurated pre-1744), 2nd Spring Meeting (Inaugurated in 1753), July Meeting (Inaugurated in 1765), 1st October Meeting (Inaugurated pre-1744), 2nd October Meeting (Inaugurated in 1762) and the Houghton Meeting (Inaugurated in 1770).

Today, the Newmarket Racecourse is home to a plethora of horse racing meetings, including some of the most famous in the sport, which are: The Final Meeting, The BET365 Craven Meeting, Summer Saturday, Betfred Guineas Festival, the Cesarewitch and the Dubai Future Champions Festival.

Not to forget the Newmarket Nights event, which sees world class music artists perform live at the Newmarket Racecourse.

There is no better way to experience the all the world class horse racing action that Newmarket Racecourse has to offer than with one of our various VIP Luxury Hospitality Packages.

Discover More about Newmarket Racecourse:

There are a plethora of facilities available at the Newmarket Racecourse. You can find an owners and trainers bar, Tote betting facilities and the runners lounge. There are also private boxes with superb views of the action.

There are also plenty of car parks (including a dedicated blue badge parking area) with electric car charging points to boot. There are also accessible toilet facilities in the Millennium Grandstand, the Premier Courtyard, the paddock bar area and the Garden Enclosure as well.

Attractions:

The National Horse Racing Museum (Less than 2 miles away)

For horse racing fans who have a fascination with the history of the sport, the National Horse Racing Museum is surely worth a visit. In it’s 5 acres, you can meet former race horses, visit the trainer’s house, the King’s Yard Galleries and the Packard Galleries of Sporting Art in the Palace House. ‘

The museum itself tells the story of the sport from it’s very beginnings and there are a plethora of significant artefacts throughout horse racing’s history.

Wicken Fen Nature Reserve (National Trust – less than 12 miles away)

The Wicken Fen Nature Reserve spans a staggering 254.5 hectares with glorious scenery surrounding you at every turn. The nature reserve is one of the oldest in Britain, as it was first cared for by the National Trust all the way back in 1899. There are various features of the reserve that are of note, including the Sedge Fen and the Adventurers’ Fen.

The Sedge Fen goes through a historic undrained core of the fen with plenty of wildlife and wetland plants. The Adventurers’ Fen is home to wet grassland, reedbeds, herds of Konik ponies as well as plenty of highland cattle.

Linton Zoo (Less than 16 miles away)

Linton Zoo is for all the family. There are various experiences on offer. You can meet a wide range of animals including lemurs, wallabies, tortoises, birds and red kangaroos. You can also meet and feed a variety of big cats, including a snow leopard, an Amur tigress and African Lions. Guided tours and animal encounters are also available.

Cambridge Escape Rooms (Less than 14 miles away)

The Cambridge Escape Rooms are great for all of the family. There are a total of three immersive escape rooms in which you have 60 minutes to escape. They are called: ‘The Secret Clubhouse’, ‘Heaven & Hell’ and ‘The Bomb’. At the Secret Clubhouse you will need to solve a mysterious puzzle. In Heaven And Hell you will need to find and activate a defibrillator before time runs out. As for ‘The Bomb’, you will have to find the bomb and disarm it in just 60 minutes.