Newcastle Racecourse is a

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

course located at Gosforth Park in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, England, owned by

Arena Racing Company Arena Racing Company, also called ARC Racing and Leisure Group is a UK private company, created in 2012 by the merger of Arena Leisure and Northern Racing. It owns and operates 16 racecourses in Great Britain, accounting for 39% of British rac ...

. It stages both flat and

National Hunt racing In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

, with its biggest meeting being the Northumberland Plate held annually in June.

History

Horseracing began in the North East over 350 years ago, beginning in

Killingworth Killingworth, formerly Killingworth Township, is a town in North Tyneside, England. Killingworth was built as a planned town in the 1960s, next to Killingworth Village, which existed for centuries before the Township. Other nearby towns an ...

in the early 17th century. A King's Plate for 5 year olds, run in 3 mile heats was instigated by George II in 1753. The Town Moor hosted the first recorded Northumberland Plate in 1833 and did so until 1881 when the race transferred to High Gosforth Park. 1882 saw the first running of the Plate at Gosforth Park with a new flat and chase course, new stand and stabling for 100 horses. In April, 2002 the Scottish businessman

David Williamson David Keith Williamson AO (born 24 February 1942) is an Australian dramatist and playwright. He has also written screenplays and teleplays. Early life David Williamson was born in Melbourne, Victoria, on 24 February 1942, and was brought ...

joined Newcastle Racecourse as managing director and during a six-year period he transformed their fortunes and helped boost turnover from £2.5m to £6.5m. The Northumberland Plate weekend now brings in £30m to the regional economy and he also introduced Ladies' Day which now attracts over 15,000 racegoers. In April, 2008 he was headhunted by

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East En ...

and appointed Executive Director (Operations). Williamson was replaced by

Mark Spincer Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Finn ...

. In December 2013 Newcastle's owners,

, announced plans to change the flat turf course into an all-weather track while retaining a turf jump racing course. The new Tapeta track was completed in early 2016 with the first meeting held on 17 May of that year.

Notable races

Discontinued Flat races: *

Beeswing Stakes The Beeswing Stakes was a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It was run at Newcastle over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it was scheduled to take place each year in late July. ...

(''last run in 1999'') *

Seaton Delaval Stakes The Seaton Delaval Stakes was a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old horses. It was run at Newcastle, and in its later years it was scheduled to take place in August. History The event was named after Seaton Delaval, ...

(''last run in 1985'')

References

External links

Newcastle Racecourse (Official website)Course guide on GG.COMCourse guide on At The Races
{{Horse racing in Great Britain Sports venues in Newcastle upon Tyne Horse racing venues in England Sports venues completed in 1882