Catterick Racecourse, sometimes known as Catterick Bridge Racecourse, is a thoroughbred horse racing venue one mile northwest of Catterick in North Yorkshire, England, near the hamlet of Catterick Bridge. The first official racing at Catterick was held in 1783 but it's located in an area with history in racing predating this. The current grandstand would be built in 1906.
 Catterick Racecourse | |
 Interactive map of Catterick Racecourse | |
| Location | Catterick Bridge North Yorkshire  |
|---|---|
| Date opened | 1783 |
| Screened on | Racing TV |
| Course type | Flat National Hunt |
| Official website | |
Catterick stages flat and National Hunt racing, with both tracks left-handed, sharp, and undulating.
The feature events at the course are the North Yorkshire Grand National in the jumps season, held in January, and the Catterick Dash in the flat season, held in October.
History
editYorkshire has been a centre of horse racing for many centuries and today it remains home to nine racecourses, including Catterick. Richmond Racecourse was only a few miles away and its first meeting was recorded in 1669, with the racecourse (one mile and four furlongs in circumference) lasting until 1891.[1] Catterick hosted events in the mid-17th century in an unofficial capacity and the first sanctioned meeting took place at Easter 1783.[1] A permanent track was laid down in 1813.[2] The racecourse was owned at one time by a Mr Ferguson who ensured racing continued whatever the weather, even sending sheep round the course to melt snow in 1819.[1]
An entrance fee was first charged to the general public in 1888, having previously only been required for use of the stand.[1]. In 1906, the current grandstand was built, and although it has been modernised since, it remains a key feature of the racecourse.[3]
The Catterick Racecourse Company was formed to operate the racecourse in 1923 and it continues to do so today.[4] £50,000 would be spent on improved facilities in 1967.[5] Improvements continue to be made at Catterick, and while the events it hosts lack the prestige of other local venues, it still prides itself on its friendly and welcoming nature.[2]
There has been discussion in recent years as to Catterick replacing its turf flat surface with an all-weather one. It has planning permission to do so in perpetuity and installed a floodlight base in 2015, but as of 2026, no further progress has been made.[6]
Catterick has made many contributions to racing history despite nowadays lacking any particularly notable races. Collier Hill would go on to win the Hong Kong Vase, Irish St. Leger and Canadian International Stakes after breaking his maiden there,[7] and the legendary Red Rum also won at the racecourse in 1971 under Tommy Stack at 9/2 odds.[8] In terms of jockeys, Willie Carson rode his first winner on a horse named Pinker's Pond in 1962, whilst future Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Ridley Lamb would ride his on White Speck in 1971.[4]
Course characteristics
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Both courses are left-handed tracks but are fairly distinct, with the jumps circuit being two furlongs longer than the flat one and less undulating. The national hunt course is on the inside of the flat course on the home straight but the outside for the back straight.
The flat course is roughly one mile and one furlong round, sharp and undulating. There is a downhill run from six furlongs to three furlongs from the finish, whilst the five-furlong course (starting on a chute) is also downhill until reaching a dogleg where it joins the round course.[3] The run-in is three furlongs in length.[9] The turn into the home straight is sharp and slipping on it after heavy rainfall has been known to cause abandonments, for example in August 2022 after only two races had taken place on that year's Ladies' Day fixture.[10] The downhill nature of the track means five furlong races tend to be fast and suit speedier types that can break well.[9][3] Long-striding horses are not favoured at Catterick.[11]
The jumps course is less undulating and longer at one mile and three furlongs and its fences are not fearsome. However, there are five in quick succession on the back straight (along with three on the home straight) and front-running remains beneficial like on the flat course.[3] There is an open ditch on each straight. Five hurdles are jumped in hurdle races.[4]
The gravel subsoil means the going is usually good[5] and very rarely too testing, although abandonments for frozen conditions are fairly common in winter due to the northern location.
Catterick lacks particularly significant races but it does have the five-furlong Catterick Dash (a Class 2 event) as its feature flat race and the 3m 6f North Yorkshire Grand National has been the feature jumps event since its inception in 2003.[12]
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 "Catterick Racecourse History". Greyhound Derby. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- 1 2 "About". Catterick Races. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Catterick Racecourse Guide & Fixtures". Horse Racing Betting Sites. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Catterick Racecourse". Racecourses.net. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- 1 2 Mortimer, Onslow & Willett 1978, p. 111.
- ↑ "Catterick could switch from turf track to all-weather due to changes to fixture list". Racing Post. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ "Catterick Racecourse Guide December 2021". British Racecourses. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ↑ "Red Rum Winning at Catterick in 1971". YouTube. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- 1 2 Mortimer 1971, p. 55.
- ↑ "Catterick Races Abandonment - 24th August". Catterick Races. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ Gill 1975, p. 49.
- ↑ "North Yorkshire Grand National". Go Racing In Yorkshire. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
Bibliography
edit- Mortimer, Roger (1971). The Encyclopaedia of Flat Racing. London: Robert Hale. ISBN 0-7091-1531-8.
- Gill, James (1975). Racecourses of Great Britain. London: Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN 0-2142-0090-6.
- Mortimer, Roger; Onslow, Richard; Willett, Peter (1978). Biographical Encyclopaedia of British Flat Racing. London: Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN 0-354-08536-0.
External links
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