Earliest meeting: Thursday 29th September 1842
Final meeting: Tuesday 24th September 1850
The village and civil parish of Leintwardine is in north Herefordshire, although it is very close to the Shropshire border. The Romans called the village Bravonium and built a fort, called Branogenium, just a quarter of a mile south of the village. Such was the influence of the Romans on the village that the High Street resembles the famous Roman road of Watling Street. Despite it being a small village it organised its own races, with an initial meeting held on Thursday 29th September 1842. The principal race of that meeting was the Leintwardine Saddle & Bridle Sweepstakes which was won by Mr Mearn’s Midnight. After racing an Ordinary was served at the Lion and Swan Hotels. Meetings continued to be popular and successful for the next eight years. The final meeting was a 3 race card on Tuesday 24th September 1850 when the opening Warden Stakes went to Mr Smith’s Nancy Dawson, the Leintwardine Stakes to Mr Lewis’ Matilda and the concluding Sweepstakes to Mr Oakes’s Fly-by-Night.
The article below is shown courtesy of the British Newspaper Archives Online:-
Thursday 29th September 1842
Leintwardine Saddle & Bridle Sweepstakes
1. Midnight, bay gelding owned by Mr Mearn
2. Snip, bay gelding owned by Mr Oliver
3. Informer, black gelding owned by Mr Parker
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
