Ripon Racecourse is a

thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

venue located in

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and is nicknamed the Garden Racecourse.

History

Racing on the present site on Boroughbridge Road began on 6 August 1900. but racing has taken place at a number of locations in the city from as far back as 1664 when it hosted its first meeting on Bondgate Green. An 1856 OS map shows a racecourse on the north side of the Ure beside the road to

Thirsk Thirsk is a market town and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England known for its racecourse; quirky yarnbomber displays, and depiction as local author James Herriot's fictional Darrowby. History Archeological ...

and adjacent to the railway station. Racing in the town first gained national attention in 1723 when the city hosted Britain's first horse race for female jockeys. Between 1916 and 1919, the southern half of the racecourse was used as a base for No. 76 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (later the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

) as RFC/RAF Ripon. The ground was also used sporadically for civilian aircraft into the 1920s. It was voted the 'Best Small Racecourse in the North' by the Racegoers' Club in 2003.

Ripon Racecourse today

The annual race season at Ripon now includes Ripons "Big Night Out" and Family Day in May, Ladies Day in June and the opening day of the Go Racing in Yorkshire in July. There are other fixtures throughout the year including Children's Day, Great St. Wilfrid Day and the Ripon Champion Two-Year-Old Trophy all taking place in August.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is a charitable non-governmental organisation, one of the UK's 46 county-based Wildlife Trusts. It's focus is nature conservation and it works to achieve a nature-rich Yorkshire with healthy and resilient ecosystems ...

's Ripon City Wetlands nature reserve is adjacent to the racecourse.

Characteristics

The course is a flat, right-handed oval of 1 mile 5

furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hor ...

s with a sharp bend preceding the 5 furlong run in. There is a chute which creates a six furlong straight course. The cramped bends and undulations in the straight make the course very sharp.

Facilities

The course has three enclosures - the Club Stand, Paddock Enclosure and Course Enclosure in the centre of the track. Ripon also boasts a permanent giant screen.

Facts and figures

*Number of fixtures (2013) - 16 *Top trainer (2007 - 2011 inc.) - Tim Easterby, 33 wins from 340 runs

Notable races

References

External links

Official websiteCourse guide on GG.COMCourse guide on At The RacesNon-racing Events at Ripon Racecourse
Sports venues in North Yorkshire Horse racing venues in England Ripon {{England-sports-venue-stub