Stockbridge Racecourse was 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 p ...

venue in

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

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 ...

which closed in 1898.

History

The first racing at Stockbridge took place on Houghton Down from, at the latest, 1775, and possibly earlier. By 1839 a new course had been developed on Danebury Hill near

Nether Wallop Nether Wallop is a village and civil parish in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. It is located approximately northwest of Stockbridge, and approximately southwest of Andover. Nether Wallop is the easternmost of the three villages ...

. The course is associated with leading Victorian trainer John Day who, together with stable

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Tom Cannon, sent out multiple

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

winners. He trained from stables at Danebury House, built in 1832 by

Lord George Bentinck Lord William George Frederick Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (27 February 180221 September 1848), better known as Lord George Bentinck, was an English Conservative politician and racehorse owner noted for his role (with Benjamin Disraeli) in unseatin ...

, adjacent to the track and now the

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

of a

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

. Another important, but short-lived figure in the history of the course was Harry, Marquis of Hastings who had horses trained at Stockbridge in the 1860s. A notable visitor to the track was King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

, who whilst still

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

watched his horse, Counterpane, come last in the Stockbridge Cup and then fall down dead. It is reported that souvenir hunters pulled out every hair of its tail. Horses were often entered and shown at the Swan Inn in Stockbridge. Race week was usually in June or July. The track had a straight mile and a severe 'elbow'. In the years before its closure, the major races at the course were: *Bibury Stakes - a 1 1/2 mile handicap, worth £251 in 1898 *Stockbridge Cup Stakes - a 6

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 hors ...

race, worth £290 *Hurstborne Stakes - a 5 furlong race for two-year-olds, worth £622 *Arlington Plate - a mile handicap, worth £460 *Champagne Stakes - a 5 furlong race for two-year-olds, worth £340

Closure

In 1898, the land on which the eastern end of the course stood was inherited by Marianne Vaudrey who strongly disapproved of

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

, and therefore refused to extend the lease. At the time,

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amo ...

rules stated that all racecourses should have a straight mile and since Stockbridge's straight mile extended into this area of land, the course was forced to close. The final meeting took place on 7 July 1898. After closure, the gallops served as a testing site for

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

s during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Meanwhile, the Bibury Club Grandstand, which opened in 1867, survived until 1973, when it was destroyed by fire. The ivy-covered ruins of the Grandstand remain, but are in a precarious condition. Today, the ground on which the course stood is part of the Danebury Racing Stables estate owned by trainer Ken Cunningham-Brown. The Southern half of the course is now part of an organic dairy farm farmed by A Burnfield & Sons Ltd.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Horse racing in Great Britain , state=collapsed Defunct horse racing venues in England 1898 disestablishments in England Sport in Hampshire Sports venues completed in 1839