Newport Racecourse, also known as Caerleon Racecourse, was 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 ...

venue located at

Caerleon Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable ...

, near

Newport, Wales Newport ( ) is a city and Principal areas of Wales, county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. The population grew considerably between the 2011 and the 2021 Unit ...

which staged

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 ...

racing from the 1840s until its closure in 1948. The earliest known horse race meeting at Caerleon took place in 1845, although official results are not found until 1852. After 1854 no further racing took place in the area until the Llangibby and Tredegar Hunt staged meetings there in the 1880s and 1890s, usually in November. On 15 November 1899 the course was referred to as Newport for the first time, and it continued to host meetings in May and November each year until 1928, with a gap from 1913 to 1919 due to World War I. The May meeting was discontinued after the 1928 staging, leaving Newport with only one meeting in November until the start of World War II. When Newport resumed racing after the war, fixtures increased. Eleven days were scheduled for the 1946–47 season although a number were cancelled due to bad weather. In 1947–48 eight days were scheduled and 30 March 1948 the course staged the

Welsh Grand National The Coral Welsh Grand National is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Chepstow, Wales, over a distance of ...

for the only time, but the fixture held on 15 and 17 May 1948 proved to be the final National Hunt meeting held at Newport. In 1949 some pony racing was held at the course, but financial problems meant that no further racing of any kind took place at Newport after that year. The course hosted the

International Cross Country Championships The International Cross Country Championships was an annual international competition in cross- country running. It was created in 1903 by the International Cross Country Union (ICCU) and it marked the first time that an annual international ch ...

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

1911 Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia. * January 3 ** 1911 Kebin earthquake: An earthquake of 7.7 m ...

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

and

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

. The land now forms parts of Caerleon Golf Course and Caerleon Comprehensive School.

References

{{Caerleon, Wales Defunct horse racing venues in Wales Caerleon Sports venues in Newport, Wales 1948 disestablishments in the United Kingdom