Earliest meeting: Wednesday 16th December 1863
Final meeting: Friday 10th January 1868
The village and civil parish of Castle Donington is in North West Leicestershire, but has a Derbyshire postcode and has been classed as Derbyshire in the past. It once boasted a racecourse at which racing was administered by the Donington Hunt Committee. The course was on Donington Park, complete with two viewing stands, and consisted of a number of stiff fences and a formidable water jump. The racing began with a meeting in December 1863 when not under rules, but on Thursday 22nd December 1864 races were run under Grand National Rules and continued for the next 4 years, offering a mixed programme of Flat and Steeplechase races. The meeting occupied a difficult slot in the racing calendar, as races were always scheduled the week before Christmas. The Trent Bank Stakes was the feature race in 1865 when the Duke of Hamilton’s Ostrich was successful. The final meeting is known to have taken place on Friday 10th January 1868.
The inaugural steeplechasing meeting at Castle Donington was held on Wednesday 16th December 1863 when the principal race of the day was the Trent Bank Stakes over 4 miles of fair hunting ground.
Trent Bank Stakes over 4 miles
1. Miss Morgan (4/1) owned by Mr W Lambert and ridden by Mr Talbot
2. Whitewash (6/4 fav) owned by Mr F Granville and ridden by Mr Falkner
3. Rocket (2/1) owned by the Marquis of Hastings and ridden by Mr Wombwell
4. Bolero (10/1) owned by Mr Chapman and ridden by Captain Chapman
5. Susan (25/1) owned by Lord Harrington
6. Augusta (25/1) owned by Lord Harrington
I am grateful to David Copland for the magnificent trophy shown below which was won by Mr W Lambert, owner of Miss Morgan.
Tuesday 19th December 1865
Trent Bank Stakes over 4 miles
1. Ostrich, aged horse owned by the Duke of Hamilton
2. Dinorah, aged horse owned by Mr George
3. The Nigger, aged horse owned by the Marquis of Hastings
Much of the information about this course has been found using internet research and is in the public domain. However, useful research sources have been:-
London Illustrated News
Racing Illustrated 1895-1899
The Sporting & Dramatic Illustrated
Northern Turf History Volumes 1-4 by J.Fairfax-Blakeborough
The Sporting Magazine
A Long Time Gone by Chris Pitt first published in 1996 ISBN 0 900599 89 8
Racing Calendars which were first published in 1727
