Earliest meeting: Wednesday 1st January 1868
Final meeting: Monday 29th January 1872
The North Yorkshire village of Hop Grove lies on the Malton Road between York and Scarborough and in the latter part of the 1800s the village held its own races, with the first meeting held on New Years Day Wednesday 1st January 1868. The meeting was across fields located just 2 miles from York and within easy reach of the racing town of Malton, which to this day has some prominent racing stables. Entries were made at The Old George Hotel at the Pavement in York and it proved to be an excellent day for Mr J Harrison’s chestnut mare Topsy. She won the opening Hunters’ Stakes from Wild Deer and Mundig, and followed up with victory in the concluding Scramble. The meeting was well supported and repeated two years later on Monday 3rd January 1870 when a one mile match saw the 4/6 favourite Britannia easily land the odds over sole rival Miss Annie. In the concluding Scramble race, over a mile, victory went to Come-take-Care. The final meeting took place on Monday 29th January 1872 under Grand National Rules and consisted of a 4 race card, including the Hunters Chase, the Selling Stakes, a Maiden Plate and a concluding Scramble. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 1 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Mr H Darley & Mr George Hilton (Stewards) |
| Principal Races |
Hop Grove Hunters’ Stakes, Scramble Stakes |
Monday 3rd January 1870
Hop Grove Hunters’ Stakes over 3 miles
1. Lady Gosling, 5 year old owned by Mr Geldred
2. Corkey, aged horse owned by Mr Marsdin
3. Maid of the Morning, 6 year old owned by Mr Backhouse
Betting: 5/2 Lady Gosling, 4/1 Full Bloom, 5/1 Come-take-care |
The final meeting took place on Monday 29th January 1872. |
| Course today |
In fields just 2 miles from York on the Malton Road. |
| If you have photos, postcards, racecards. badges, newspaper cuttings or book references about the old course, or can provide a photo of how the ground on which the old racecourse stood looks today, then email johnwslusar@gmail.com |
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 |
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ISBN 978-0-9957632-0-3
652 pages
774 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-1-0
352 pages
400 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-2-7
180 pages
140 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-3-4
264 pages
235 former courses |
| Copies of the above books are only available by emailing johnwslusar@gmail.com stating your requirements, method of payment (cheque payable to W.Slusar) or Bank transfer, and the address where the book(s) should be sent. |
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