Earliest meeting: June 1807
Final meeting: Tuesday 18th July 1848
Although James Whyte’s History of the British Turf noted that two days racing first took place in the Worcestershire town of Dudley & Tipton in June 1807, little more was heard until a meeting at Dudley Port on Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th July 1826. Meetings were then held intermittently until a two day affair, billed as ‘Dudley, Tipton and West Bromwich races,’ took place on the Earl of Dudley’s estate at Tipton on Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th July 1837. The one mile course was situated between Castle Hill and Tipton Road. The card opened with the Dudley Castle Stakes over 2 miles which went to Mr Walmsley’s Catamaran, while the Tipton Stakes was won by Filho da Puta, owned by Mr James. On the second day the West Bromwich Stakes saw Mr Ongley’s Donnington beat Miss Gwynne. Meetings continued to be billed under all 3 places until the 1842 meeting reverted to ‘Dudley and Tipton Races’. The final time Tipton was included was in 1844 when a hurdle race over a mile and a half, with six 4 feet high leaps, was introduced onto the card. Meetings ceased on the Earl of Dudley’s course when the railway company purchased the land, but a new course on Tipton Road was ready in time for the 1846 meeting. The final two day meeting took place on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th July 1848, known only as Dudley, when the Dudley Castle Stakes was won by Lady Flora, the Ashwood Hurdle by Tugford Lass, and the Dudley Selling Stakes by Novel. The land was, once again, bought by the railway company and this time there was no reprieve.
Monday 24th July 1837
The Dudley Castle Stakes over 2 miles
1. Catamaran owned by Mr Walmesley
2. Ardelia owned by Mr Barneby
The Tipton Stakes over 2 miles
1. Unnamed filly by Filho-da-Puta owned by Mr James
2. Unnamed filly by Pantaloon owned by Mr Flintoff
3. Ostade owned by Mr Dixon
The Worcestershire Stakes over 2 ½ miles
1. Ardelia owned by Mr Barneby
2. Catamaran owned by Mr Walmesley
I am grateful to David Fisher for providing photos of what the land on which the former racecourse stood looks like today. The picture immediately below is the former site of the Dudley Railway Station (Looking North, taken from Birmingham Rd Bridge)
Tuesday 18th July 1848
The Dudley Castle Stakes over 1 ½ miles
1. Lady Flora, chestnut mare owned by Mr Lamb
2. Jollity, bay filly owned by Mr Parsons
3. Little Fan, bay mare owned by Mr Hargreaves
The picture given below shows land to the West of the former railway station (Looking North, taken from what was Station Drive)
The picture given below shows land to the North-West of the former railway station (Looking South, taken from the bottom end of the new Dudley Zoo Car-Park)
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
