The Morning Line
''Channel 4 Racing'' is the name given to the horse racing coverage on the British television stations Channel 4 and More4. History The first transmission of racing on the channel was on 22 March 1984 from Doncaster, as it took over midweek coverage that had previously been on ITV. On 5 October 1985, the week after '' World of Sport'' ended, Channel 4 took over ITV's Saturday afternoon coverage. From the beginning of 1986, however, the amount of racing covered, especially on Saturday afternoons, was substantially reduced with coverage focussing on Newmarket, Epsom, Doncaster, York, Sandown Park, Kempton alongside visits to Ayr for the Scottish Grand National and Ayr Gold Cup meetings and Newcastle for the Eider Chase, Northumberland Plate and Fighting Fifth Hurdle. Race meetings dropped would be the small/medium tracks that were covered by World Of Sport Warwick, Nottingham, Market Rasen, Ripon, Beverley, Towcester, Stratford, Catterick, Fakenham, Fontwell, Sedgefiel ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Francome
John Francome (born 13 December 1952) is a retired seven-time British Champion jump jockey. He was previously a racing trainer and broadcaster with Channel 4, and is an author. Racing career Francome first rode a pony called Black Beauty at the age of six. His first riding successes came as a showjumper, and was a member of the team that won the European Junior Show Jumping Championship for Great Britain. Francome's father secured a meeting with trainer Fred Winter and he became an apprentice in October 1969. His first race ride came at Worcester in December 1970, a race he won riding Multigrey trained by Godfrey Burr. In February 1971, Francome rode his first of 575 winners for trainer Winter on Osceola at Towcester. Osbaldeston was an early success story for the Francome/Winter partnership, notching up 17 victories. Francome won his first British Champion Jump Jockey title in the 1975/76 season. The same year he secured his first Grade 1 victory in the Sun Alliance C ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Brough Scott
John Brough Scott, Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 12 December 1942) is a British horse racing journalist, radio and television presenter, and former jockey. He is also the grandson and biographer of the noted First World War, Great War soldier J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone, "Galloper Jack" Seely. Scott was educated at Radley College and Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he read History.‘SCOTT, (John) Brough’, Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 200accessed 26 March 2008/ref> His riding career saw him ride over 100 winners including the Imperial Cup and Mandarin Handicap Chase, The Mandarin Handicap Chase.Brough Scott, MBE Debrett's, People of Today: Ed Ellis, P (1992, London, Debrett's) He joined ITV (TV network), ITV in 1 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's List of British flat horse races#Group 1, 36 annual Group One, Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy. History Doncaster is one of the oldest (and the largest in physical capacity) established centres for horse racing in Britain, with records of regular race meetings going back to the 16th century. A map of 1595 already shows a racecourse at Town Moor. In 1600 the corporation tried to put an end to the races because of the number of ruffians they attracted, but by 1614 it acknowledged failure and instead marked out a racecourse. Doncaster is home to two of the World's oldest horse races: The Doncaster Cup The earliest important race in Doncaster's history was the Doncaster Gold Cup, first run over Cantley Common in 1766. The Doncaster Cup is the oldest continuing regulated horse race in the worl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Northumberland Plate
The Northumberland Plate is a Flat racing, flat Handicap (horse racing), handicap Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Newcastle Racecourse, Newcastle over a distance of 2 miles and 56 yards (3,270 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in late June or early July. History The event was established in 1833, and the inaugural running was won by Tomboy. It was initially held at Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Town Moor, and it was part of a meeting first staged at Killingworth in 1623. It was transferred to its present venue at Gosforth Park in 1882. The Northumberland Plate originally took place on a Wednesday, and for many years the meeting was a holiday for local mine workers. The race became popularly known as the "Pitmen's Derby". The meeting ceased to be a holiday in 1949, and the race was switched to a Saturday in 1952. The Northumberland Plate is now on ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Eider Chase
The Eider Chase is National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain. It is run at Newcastle Racecourse in February, over a distance of about 4 miles and 1 furlongs (4 miles, 1 furlong and 56 yards, or ) and during the race there are 24 fences to be jumped. The race was first run in 1952 and is seen as a trial for the Grand National. Comply or Die won both races in 2008, however, the 2004 winner, Tyneandthyneagain, was later fatally injured at Aintree. The 2011 race was run in extremely heavy ground, with only three horses completing the marathon. Winners Sponsors The Tote were long-term sponsors of the Eider Handicap Chase, sponsoring the race until their privatisation and subsequent takeover by Betfred. Betfred sponsored the race from 2012 until 2018 before Vertem began a five-year association with the race in 2019. In 2024 Betting.Bet were confirmed as the new race sponsor and the race is now run as the Betting.Bet Eider Handicap Ch ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Newcastle Racecourse
Newcastle Racecourse is a horse racing course located at Gosforth Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, owned by Arena Racing Company. It stages both Flat racing, flat and National Hunt racing, with its biggest meeting being the Northumberland Plate held annually in June. History Horseracing began in the North East over 350 years ago, beginning in Killingworth in the early 17th century. A King's Plate for 5 year olds, run in 3 mile heats was instigated by George II of Great Britain, George II in 1753. The Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, Town Moor hosted the first recorded Northumberland Plate in 1833 and did so until 1881 when the race transferred to Gosforth Park, High Gosforth Park. 1882 saw the first running of the Plate at Gosforth Park with a new flat and chase course, new stand and stabling for 100 horses. In 1994 Stanley Clarke (businessman), Sir Stanley Clarke's Northern Racing company acquired Newcastle Racecourse. In April, 2002 the Scotland, Scottish businessman Dav ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ayr Gold Cup
The Ayr Gold Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Ayr over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in September. History The event was established in 1804, and it was originally held at Ayr's former racecourse at Belleisle. In the early part of its history it was restricted to horses bred and trained in Scotland. It was initially contested over two separate heats of two miles, and was subsequently a single race with a two-mile distance. The Ayr Gold Cup became a handicap in 1855, and it was shortened to about a mile in 1870. The Belleisle track closed in 1907, and the race was relocated and cut to 6 furlongs in 1908. The lightest winning weight in the race since it became a sprint is 6 st 13 lb (44 kg). This was carried to victory by Marmaduke Jinks in 1936. The heaviest is 10 st (63½ ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Scottish Grand National
The Scottish Grand National is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Ayr, Scotland, over a distance of about 4 miles (3 miles 7 furlongs and 176 yards, or 6,397 metres) and during its running there are 27 fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and takes place each year in April. It is Scotland's equivalent of the Grand National, and is held during Ayr's two-day Scottish Grand National Festival meeting. History The race, then known as the "West of Scotland Grand National", was first run at a course near Houston, Renfrewshire in 1858. It consisted of 32 jumps, mainly stone walls. In 1867, after objections by the leader of the Free Kirk in Houston, the race moved to Bogside Racecourse, near Irvine. The inaugural winner at Bogside, The Elk, was owned by the Duke of Hamilton. During the early part of its history the race's distance was ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ayr Racecourse
Ayr Racecourse at Whitletts Road, Ayr, Scotland,''British Racing and Racecourses'' () by Marion Rose Halpenny – Page 71 was opened in 1907. There are courses for Flat racing, flat and for National Hunt racing. History Horse racing in Ayr dates back to 1576, but the first official meeting did not take place until 1771 at a racecourse situated in the Seafield, Ayr, Seafield area of the town. This first racecourse was a mile oval with sharp bends. In the early days, racing was supported by the local landed gentry and members of the Caledonian Fox hunting, Hunt. Important figures in the course's history have included the Earl of Eglinton, Boswell baronets, Sir James Boswell and the William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland, Duke of Portland. In 1824, Ayr's most important race meeting, the Western Meeting, was established and by 1838 it offered £2000 in prize money and the most valuable two-year-old race of the season in Britain. The meeting's feature race, the Ayr Gol ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kempton Park Racecourse
Kempton Park Racecourse is a horse racing track together with a alcohol licensing laws of the United Kingdom, licensed entertainment and conference venue in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England, on the border with Greater London; it is 13 miles west of Charing Cross in central London. The site has of flat grassland surrounded by woodland with two lakes in its centre. Its entrance borders Kempton Park railway station which was created for racegoers on a Shepperton Branch Line, branch line from London Waterloo railway station, London Waterloo, via Clapham Junction railway station, Clapham Junction. It has adjoining inner and outer courses for flat and National Hunt racing, National Hunt racing. Among its races, the King George VI Chase takes place on Boxing Day, a Grade 1 National Hunt Steeplechase (horse racing), chase which is open to Horse racing, horses aged four years or older. History The racecourse was the idea of 19th-century businessman and Conservative Party (UK), Cons ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sandown Park Racecourse
Sandown Park is a horse racing course and leisure venue in Esher, Surrey, England, located in the outer suburbs of London. It hosts 5 Grade One National Hunt racing, National Hunt races and one Group One, Group 1 flat race, the Eclipse Stakes. It regularly has horse racing during afternoons, evenings and on weekends, and also hosts many non-racing events such as trade shows, wedding fairs, toy fairs, car shows and auctions, property shows, concerts, and even some private events. It was requisitioned by the War Department (United Kingdom), War Department from 1940–1945 for World War II. The venue has hosted bands such as UB40, Madness (band), Madness, Girls Aloud, Spandau Ballet and Simply Red. The racecourse is close to Esher railway station, served by trains from London Waterloo railway station, London Waterloo. There is a secondary exit from Esher station which is open on race days, this exit leads directly into the racecourse and Lower Green, Esher. History Sandown ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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York Racecourse
York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot Racecourse, Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350,000 racegoers per year and stages three of the UK's List of British flat horse races#Group 1, 36 annual Group One, Group 1 races – the Juddmonte International Stakes, the Nunthorpe Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks. Location The course is located in the south-west of the city, next to the former Terry's, Terry's of York factory, The Chocolate Works. It is situated on an expanse of ground which has been known since pre-medieval times as the Knavesmire, from the Old English, Anglo-Saxon ''"knave"'' meaning a man of low standing, and ''"mire"'' meaning a swampy pasture for cattle. For this reason, the racecourse is still sometimes referred to as ''"The Knavesmire"''. The Knavesmire was originally common pasture, belonging t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |