Earliest meeting: Tuesday 6th September 1692
Final meeting: Thursday 4th February 1904
The North Yorkshire market town of Malton is in the Ryedale district of the county, just 18 miles from York. Malton Castle, an 11th century wooden Norman Castle was built on the site of the current Castle Gardens. In the late 18th and early years of the 19th century Malton was split into Old and New Malton. The earliest record of racing taking place in Malton was on Tuesday 6th September 1692 when the London Gazette reported on a meeting taking place at Langton Wolds in the vicinity of Malton and Norton. The racecourse was an oval course of 12 furlongs, almost entirely flat and without tight bends to negotiate, and also contained a straight of 4 furlongs which catered for sprint races. Racing continued on this course until the final meeting was held on Friday 23rd May 1862, although racing inexplicably lapsed between 1836 and 1840. During this time, and particularly in the earlier period, meetings were referred to as New Malton, starting in 1751 and ending in 1862. In 1866 the Talbot Hotel was the venue for a meeting called by William L’Anson, a keen racing man, and the Group agreed to build a National Hunt course on Orchard Fields. The first meeting was held on 13th March 1867 and the last in 1870, the project being doomed to failure because it was free for the public to roam over the course. Not to be deterred, William L’Anson persisted with his dream to establish a jumps course in Malton and on 17th March 1882 a course was opened at Highfield. This time the venture was a success and continued until the final meeting on Thursday 4th February 1904. The final card began with the Howe Hill National Hunt Selling Plate which was won by Yenikale for Mr Reynolds; the feature race, the Highfield Handicap Steeplechase, by Honestus for Mr Hobson, and the very last race at Malton, the Yorkshire Maiden Chase, by Holoscope for Mr T Martin.
Baily’s Racing Register first provided detailed results from races held at Malton in 1730, with the meeting being held in June and the result shown below.
Friday 9th June 1730
Malton £20 Plate for 5 year olds
1. Lowther owned by Mr Witty
2. Stroker owned by Mr Norton
3. Miss Tifter owned by Mr Bethel
Thursday 29th and Friday 30th April 1824
The Welham Stakes over 2 miles
1. Tom Paine owned by Mr Watson
2. Eliza owned by Mr Hopkinson
3. Hearsay owned by Mr R Gilbert
The Malton Members Plate over 2 miles
1. Minna owned by Mr Haworth
2. Balance owned by Mr Ferguson
3. Butcher owned by Mr Peters
Thursday 9th & Friday 10th April 1829
Malton Craven Stakes over a mile and a quarter
1. Murphy owned by Mr Gibbeson
2. Master Burke owned by Mr Ridsdale
3. Betty Martin owned by Colonel King
The Barton Stakes over 1 ½ miles
1. Felt owned by Mr Petre
2. Lilylow owned by Mr Weatherill
3. Madcap owned by Colonel King
The Welham Silver Cup over 2 miles
1. All Heart and No Peel owned by Sir Thomas Sykes
2. Guardsman owned by Mr D Davidson
3. Navarino owned by Mr M Foulis
By 1867 racing had returned to Malton when a Steeplechase course was opened in Orchard Field, off the Old Malton Road, but it did not prove popular and was closed just 3 years later in 1870.
A further lapse of 12 years before racing returned briefly in 1882 when steeplechases were run at Highfield, with the principal race being the National Hunt Steeplechase.
The National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, over 4 miles and 24 fences, is now contested at the annual Cheltenham Festival in March, but in 1886 it was held at Malton, and the result is shown below.
1886 Why Not ridden by Charles Cunningham
The Highfield Handicap Steeplechase over 2 miles 1 furlong
1. Honestus, chestnut gelding owned by Mr J R Hobson
2. Parsival, 6 year old owned by Mr Reynolds
3. Harvest Home II, aged horse owned by Mr J E Rogerson
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the map shown below.
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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:-
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
