Windsor Racecourse, also known as Royal Windsor Racecourse, is a

thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in t ...

venue located in

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, England. It is one of only two figure-of-eight courses in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, the other being at Fontwell Park.

Description

Windsor Racecourse is located on the banks of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

and occupies a large island between the main channel of the River and the

Clewer Mill Stream Clewer Mill Stream is a narrow twisting backwater of the River Thames near Windsor, Berkshire, England, which leaves the main river at Bush Ait and rejoins just above Queen Elizabeth Bridge. It is about 1.5 miles long. Clewer Mill Stream is ...

backwater. Although the course is shaped like a figure-of-eight, the full circuit is never used, so in races of 1m, 1m 2f and 1m 3f 99y (the longest distance at Windsor) the runners turn only right-handed. The full circuit is a little over 1m 4f, although it was about 1m 6f until the late 1970s. The 6f course is almost straight.

History

The local area has links to horse racing that date back to the time of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, but the first race meeting at Royal Windsor did not take place until 1866. It abandoned National Hunt jump racing in December 1998, switching entirely to

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 ...

. However, the course has occasionally held

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: ...

meetings since, such as when it took over some of nearby Ascot's jump meetings during its refurbishment in the mid-2000s. In 1987 David Thompson acquired a majority interest in Windsor Racecourse and Richard Thompson became chairman from 1987 until the sale to arena leisure plc in 1999. On 15 October 2012 jockey Richard Hughes won 7 races out of the 8 races on the day.

Notable races

Other events

Windsor Racecourse was the location for scenes in the film ''

Last Orders ''Last Orders'' is a 1996 novel by British writer Graham Swift. The book won the 1996 Booker Prize. In 2001, it was adapted for the film ''Last Orders (film), Last Orders'' by Australian writer and director Fred Schepisi. Plot The story makes ...

''. Windsor Racecourse was also the location for the filming of ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of I ...

'' Season 8 episode ''Bantling Boy.'' For the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

a temporary bridge linked the Racecourse with

Dorney Lake Dorney Lake (also known as Eton College Rowing Centre, and as Eton Dorney as a 2012 Summer Olympics venue) is a purpose-built rowing lake in England. It is near the village of Dorney, Buckinghamshire, and is around 3 km (2 miles) west of Wi ...

, the rowing and canoeing venue. The Racecourse served as a pick-up and drop-off point for spectators travelling to and from Dorney Lake.

References

External links

Official websiteCourse guide on GG.COMCourse guide on At The RacesOfficial sponsor
{{coord, 51, 29, 25.71, N, 0, 37, 52.79, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Horse racing venues in England Sports venues in Berkshire Buildings and structures in Windsor, Berkshire Sports venues completed in 1866 1866 establishments in England