Fontwell Park Racecourse is a

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, 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 bas ...

course located in the village of Fontwell in

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

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, owned by ARC Racing. It features a unique figure of eight steeplechase course and a conventional oval

hurdles Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today ...

course. Fontwell Park was founded by Alfred Day who trained racehorses at The Hermitage, by the Chichester to Arundel road, from 1887. Day returned the name Fontwell to common use after researching the history of the area, and by 1924 he had purchased enough land to open the racecourse. The hurdles track was a normal shape, but the steeplechase course was laid out in a figure of eight shape to use the space on the site. The first meeting took place on 21 May 1924. The grandstand and the weighing room were built with thatched roofs. The opening race was won by Gem, the 5/4 favourite Gem, ridden by jockey Fred Rees. At the course in October 1949, Princess Elizabeth (later

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

) had her first winner as an owner when Monaveen won the Chichester Handicap Chase. In 1984,

John Francome John Francome (born 13 December 1952) is a retired seven-time British Champion jump jockey. He was previously a racing trainer and broadcaster with Channel 4, and is an author. Racing career Francome first rode a pony called Black Beauty at ...

rode his 1,036th career winner at Fontwell Park, passing

Stan Mellor Stanley Thomas Edward Mellor (10 April 1937 – 1 August 2020) was a National Hunt jockey and trainer who was the first jockey to ride 1,000 winners and Champion Jockey three years in a row from 1960 to 1962. Riding career Riding style Me ...

's record for a

National Hunt National Hunt Racing, also known as Jump Racing, is a form of horse racing particular to many European countries, including, but not limited to: France, Great Britain and Ireland. Jump Racing requires horses to jump over fences and ditches. In ...

jockey - Francome's record has subsequently been beaten. The feature race of the season at Fontwell Park is the Grade Two National Spirit Hurdle run over a distance of two miles and four furlongs in February. It is a recognised

Cheltenham Festival The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Race ...

trial. My Way de Solzen, trained by

Alan King Alan King (born Irwin Alan Kniberg; December 26, 1927 – May 9, 2004) was an American comedian, actor and satirist known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. He was also a serious actor who appeared in a number of films and televi ...

, won the race in 2006 before winning the World Hurdle. Lough Derg, trained by David Pipe and owned by Bill Frewen, took the prize in 2008 and 2009. Trenchant (Alan King/ Robert Thornton) took the prize in 2010 and Celestial Halo ( Paul Nicholls/

Harry Skelton Harry Skelton (born 20 September 1989) is a British jockey who competes in National Hunt racing. Skelton was the 2020–2021 British Champion Jump Jockey. Career Skelton started his racing career with Richard Hannon on the flat, before switchi ...

) was the winner in 2011. A new £6.5m Grandstand opened in the Premier Enclosure in August 2010 sponsored by events and plant hire company Winner Group. The course has 22 fixtures in 2024.

Notable races

References

External links

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Course guide on GG.COMCourse guide on At The RacesOfficial website History
{{Horse racing in Great Britain Sports venues in West Sussex Horse racing venues in England Arun District Sports venues completed in 1924

Notable races

References

Further reading

External links