ISLE OF SHEPPEY RACECOURSE

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Earliest meeting: Tuesday 3rd April 1838
Final meeting: Wednesday 15th July 1857
The Ise of Sheppey is an island of 36 square miles in the Thames Estuary off the northern coast of Kent. Orignally access was via ferry, but the first bridge was completed on 19th July 1860. However, 22 years before this the Isle held its first race meeting on Tuesday 3rd April 1838 with the opening Mark Banks’ Sweepstake being won by Mr Coventry who defeated the Mr Crafton owned Kate. The course was located a quarter of a mile from Sheeness on Sheppey Court.  At the meeting on Wednesday 1st August 1855 the Welter Stakes was won by Mr Hobson’s Minos, and the Handicap Plate by Mr Ottaway’s Fidgety Girl. The 1857 meeting, held on Wednesday 15th July, took place in the Meadows belonging to Mr E H Banks and proved to be the final meeting.

This racecourse is covered in Volume 2 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below.
Local Patrons Mr Mark Banks, Captain Coveney (Steward), Mr C Formby
Principal Races Banks Steeplechase, Welter Stakes, Isle of Sheppey Handicap Plate

Tuesday 3rd April 1838

Mark Banks’s Steeplechase Sweepstake
1. Unnamed mare owned by Mr Coventry and ridden by Bowman
2. Kate owned by Mr Crafton and ridden by Norton
3. Unnamed bay owned by Mr Banks and ridden by Shrimpton

Banks’s 4 mile Steeplechase
1. Robin Hood owned by Mr Leigh
2. Unnamed by owned by Mr Corbet
3. Duvernay owned by Mr Banks

The article below is from the South Eastern Gazette and gives details of the meeting which took place on Wednesday 19th July 1854, and is shown courtesy of the British Newspaper Archives Online.

Wednesday 1st August 1855

The Welter Stakes over 1 ½ miles
1. Minos owned by Mr G Hobson
2. Break o’ Day Boy owned by Mr Darby
3. Old Misery owned by Mr P Barling

Isle of Sheppey Handicap Plate over 1 ½ miles
1. Fidgety Girl owned by Mr Ottaway
2. Grey Chicken owned by Mr C Formby
3. Marchioness owned by Mr Barling

In 1857 the meeting took place in the Meadows belonging to Mr E H Banks on the Wednesday 15th July 1857 and proved to be the final meeting.

Course today Just a quarter of a mile from Sheerness on Sheppey Court.
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

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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