Wetherby Racecourse is a racecourse situated near the market town of

Wetherby Wetherby () is a market town and civil parish in the City of Leeds district, West Yorkshire, England, close to West Yorkshire county's border with North Yorkshire, and lies approximately from Leeds City Centre, from York and from Harrogat ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

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 ...

, located from

Leeds city centre Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is roughly bounded by the Leeds Inner Ring Road, Inner Ring Road to the north and the River Aire to the south and can be divided into several quarters. C ...

. For most of its history the course has hosted only

National Hunt In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...

racing but staged its first

Flat 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 ...

fixture in April 2015.

Location

The Racecourse is located on the B1224 York Road, directly adjacent to the

A1(M) A1(M) is the designation given to a series of four separate motorway sections in England. Each section is an upgrade to a section of the A1, a major north–south road which connects London, the capital of England, with Edinburgh, the capit ...

. It is situated opposite

Wetherby (HM Prison) HMP/YOI Wetherby is a male juveniles prison, located in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History Formerly a Naval Base, HMS Ceres, Wetherby was introduced into the Prison System in 19 ...

. There are new access roads between North and East Wetherby and the

. The racecourse can also be accessed from Walton Road at the rear of the stands.

History

Horse racing in Wetherby was first took place on Scaur Bank (now officially known as King George V playing fields, although still most commonly referred to as 'Scaur Bank' or 'The Ings'). In 1891 racing moved to a new site situated off York Road. From the 1920s to the 1950s the racecourse was served by

Wetherby Racecourse railway station Wetherby Racecourse railway station was a railway station on the Harrogate to Church Fenton Line serving Wetherby Racecourse in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England. When Wetherby's original station on York Road closed in 1902, for two decades ...

. In the 1930s the first terraces were erected. A new two-tier stand was erected adjacent to this in the 1970s, and then in 1999 the new Millennium Stand was opened, providing the racecourse with executive banqueting and conference facilities. Up until 1963, Racecourse Specials ran to Wetherby railway station from Bradford Interchange on race days. As the station on York Road had closed many years before, for decades the only rail access was via the station on Linton Road at the other end of Wetherby from the racecourse.

Today

Charlie Hall Chase (30th October 2010) 002

Wetherby Racecourse was the last racecourse in Yorkshire that hosted only

jump meetings, but it now stages

as well. The course announced early in 2014 that they were investigating staging summer Flat racing and were granted four fixtures when the 2015 list was released in October 2014. The first Flat racing fixture took place on 26 April 2015.

Notable races

Facilities

The Racecourse features the following facilities, areas and amenities: * The Wetherby Millennium Stand & Premier Enclosure * The Paddock Stands and Paddock Gallery * Parade Ring and Winners Enclosure * The A1 Bar * Saddling-Up Bar * Administration Office & Weighing Room Complex * First Aid Room * Pre-Parade Ring & Saddling-Up area * Tote Credit Club * The Paddock Bar * Owners & Trainers Bar * Stables Complex * Cafe and Bar * Tote Betting Shop * Paddock Bookmakers * Course Bookmakers * Betting Ring Information * Course Enclosure Parking * White Horse Restaurant * White Horse Mezzanine Bar * Marston Moor Bar * Dine and View Restaurant * Course Bar * Course Cafe

Enclosures

Premier Enclosure This is housed within the Millennium Stand. Although there is no dress code, the management advise a smart-casual attire. Spectators in this enclosure have access to the most luxurious bars and restaurants, including the White Horse Restaurant and Mezzanine Bar. Paddock Enclosure The largest of the three enclosures is the mid spec, Paddock Enclosure. This is set within the two older stands and has access to the A1 Bar as well as most of the book makers including the large

Tote betting The Tote is a British gambling company which is the largest pool betting operator in the United Kingdom. Headquartered in Wigan, England, its main products are sports betting and online casino. Founded in 1928, the company was owned by the UK ...

shop. Course Enclosure The cheapest of the enclosures is situated in the centre of the course. It has its own bar, cafe, Tote Betting Shop, Bookmakers stands and 'big screen'; however, it lacks many of the facilities the other enclosures benefit from.

Pricing

Admittance pricing varies from £2 to £27.Official Wetherby Racecourse & Conference Centre, Jump Racing Yorkshire
/ref> This pricing is only general and may vary depending on the race meeting.

Other events

* The Racecourse is the starting point for the Great Yorkshire Bike Ride, from

Filey Filey () is a seaside town and civil parish in the Borough of Scarborough in North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the East Riding of Yorkshire, it is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on Filey Bay. Although it was a fishing ...

. * The market holds a market and carboot sale every Sunday; this is held in the Course Enclosure. Although it is still large, it no longer receives the popularity it had in the 1980s and 1990s. * Since 2006 the racecourse has been the venue for the Mascot Gold Cup, the world's largest Mascot race which is held over the final furlong on their family day meeting each April.

References

External links

Official websiteCourse guide on At The Races
{{Wetherby Horse racing venues in England Sport in Leeds Buildings and structures in Leeds Sports venues in West Yorkshire Racecourse Wetherby Sports venues completed in 1891 1891 establishments in England