Newbury, based in Berkshire, is home to superb Flat and National Hunt Racing. The highlight is the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes, won in the past by superstar-miler Frankel, among a whole host of other high-quality performers.
The Grade 3 Ladbrokes Trophy, formerly known as the Hennessy Gold Cup, is the track?s historic jumps race, which acts as an excellent trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Flat course is known to be very fair. It is an oval-shaped, left-handed, galloping track which also features a straight mile. The track plays to the strengths of horses who come from off the pace.
The jumps Course is oval in shape and features fairly stiff fences. The straight tends to favour horses who are more towards the fore. It makes for quality, exciting racing.
In 1805, racing began to take place on nearby heathland until 1815. The first meeting took place over two days and became known as `Newbury Races?.
It wasn?t until 1905 when the first racing began at the current venue, when King Edward VII applied for the new racecourse after local trainer John Porter had his proposals rejected multiple times.
Building work began in 1904 and in late September, the first race meeting took place. In 1906 National Hunt Racing was introduced and nine days of action was scheduled at the track, a mix of Flat and jumps. Newbury has prospered since and is a popular course for racing connections and racegoers alike.
