Earliest meeting: Thursday 8th April 1852
Final meeting: Thursday 26th March 1863
Racing first took place in the Leicestershire market town of Market Harborough on Thursday 8th April 1852. The course was on a ‘beautiful spot of land owned by Mr B E Bennet, providing an exceptional view for the several thousand specatators’. The opening Sweepstake was won by Mr Hewitt’s Charlie. Flat racing was never as popular as National Hunt racing in this hunting area, and the final flat meeting took place a short time later. However, deemed to be the most important steeplechase ever held in the United Kingdom, the Grand National Hunt Steeplechase of 1860 was the race which saw the establishment of the National Hunt Committee which went on to run the sport. The race was run at a 4 mile course on the outskirts of Market Harborough. The course passed through East Farndon, Thorpe Lubenham and Clipston. It was hoped that the race would bring together all the hunters in the UK and subscriptions were taken from each Hunt group. A fund of £500 was gathered to which a £10 per entry sweepstake was added. Almost unheard of at this time was a large field, but in this instance there were 58 entries, of which 31 went to post. The race was staged on Wednesday 18th April 1860 and was won by Bridegroom owned by Mr B F Angell and ridden by Mr E C Burton. Racing continued for each of the next 3 years with the feature Grand Steeplechase being the highlight of the card. The final meeting took place on Thursday 26th March 1863.
Mr Edmund C Burton, Mr Alec Goodman
Grand National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup
Wednesday 18th April 1860
Grand National Hunt Steeplechase over 4 miles
1. Bridegroom owned by Mr B F Angell and ridden by Mr E C Burton
The National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, a Grade 2 steeplechase for novice chaser over 3 miles 5 furlongs and 201 yards, is staged annually at the Cheltenham Festival in March. It boasts a rich history and is the oldest race in the Cheltenham Festival programme, dating from 1860. In the early days, between its inception in 1860 and 1910, it was staged at a variety of courses, but in 1911 Cheltenham became its permanent home.
The inaugural running was at Market Harborough in 1860 when the 8-year-old Bridegroom, ridden by Edmund Burton, was victorious. Unusually, in 1861 it was contested twice, once at Cheltenham when won by the 7-year-old The Freshman in the hands of George Ede, and later at Market Harborough on 4th April 1861 when won by Queensferry. At the Market Harborough meeting a crowd in excess of 50,000 were in attendance, including 5,000 from Leicester, and 2,500 arrived on 14 special trains run by the Midland Railway Company. The newspapers of the day judged that steeplechasing had become a national pastime, with multitudes of human beings packed tightly together on the hill at Farndon Windmill (later destroyed by fire caused by a lightning strike on Thursday 22nd August 1895). The course was slightly adjusted compared with the 1860 course, although most of the land was still owned by Mr E Bennett, but additional land owned by Mr Stratford was also included.
I am grateful to Ordnance Survey (© Crown Copyright) for permission to use the 1835 map shown below.
Although the map was before the time of Market Harborough races, it shows the area which was most likely the location of the course, especially around the Farndon Mill.
The 1860 meeting was held on Wednesday 18th April 1860 when the main guests were Earl Spencer, Lord Southampton, Lord Curzon, Lord Lincoln and Lord Stamford. The racecourse was in the parish of East Farndon, two miles south-west of the town, an admirably chosen site with a very high hill rising abruptly at the back of the village providing a splendid view of the entire course. Three of the races were run over a 4-mile course, with fences designed to fully test the thoroughbred, a stake hedge soon after the start and a formidable looking brook with 16 feet of clear water. Despite the day being bitterly cold, a crowd of between 20,000 and 30,000 were in attendance. The Farmer’s Steeplechase over 4 miles was won by Lady’s Maid’s brother (8/1) owned by Mr John Stokes and ridden by Harris, while the Scurry Steeplechase over 2 miles went to 3/1 joint favourite Chieftain owned by Mr A Finnie and ridden by Goodman. However, the principal 2 races have full details shown below, with Bridegroom, winner of the Grand National Hunt Steeplechase being placed 4th in the 1861 Aintree Grand National behind Jealousy, while The Huntsman, fourth in the Market Harborough Open Handicap Steeplechase being runner-up in the 1860 Aintree Grand National behind Anatis.
Grand National Hunt Steeplechase for 500 Guineas over 4 miles, each horse carrying 12 stone.
1. BRIDEGROOM (5/1 fav) owned by Mr F B Angell and ridden by Edmund Burton
2. THE FRESHMAN (10/1) owned by Mr C Symonds and ridden by Lington
3. LIBERATOR (25/1) owned by Mr Garden and ridden by Goodman
4. THE NIGGER (6/1) owned by Mr Briscoe and ridden by Edwards
5. RINGLEADER (25/1) owned by Major Baker and ridden by Painter
6. GOLDEN BRANCH (25/1) owned by Mr J Bennett and ridden by Thacker
7. JACK TAR (25/1) owned by Mr Briscoe and ridden by Blundell
8. HARBOROUGH (25/1) owned by Mr Capell and ridden by Thomas
9. REBELLION (25/1) owned by Mr W Catton and ridden by Pears
10. JEM (25/1) owned by Mr Clowes and ridden by Ekard
11. UMPIRE (25/1) owned by Mr Conolly and ridden by Talbot
12. ERIN GO BRUGH (25/1) owned by Mr F Conolly and ridden by Backas
13. QUICKSTEP (25/1) owned by Mr Darby and ridden by Robinson
14. MONMOUTHSHIRE (10/1) owned by Mr W R Stretton and ridden by Bevill
15. MEDORA (12/1) owned by Mr F Rowland and ridden by George
16. THE MILKMAN (14/1) owned by Mr H Francis and ridden by Vane
31 Ran
Market Harborough Open Handicap Steeplechase over 4 miles
1. THE TARTAR (8/1) owned by Mr C Lewis and ridden by Oliver junior
2. JOE MALEY (5/2 fav) owned by Mr McAdam and ridden by Waddington
3. HARRY (6/1) owned by Mr Hadley and ridden by Stevens
4. THE HUNTSMAN (4/1) owned by Captain Hunt and ridden by Land junior
5. OMAR PASHA (25/1) owned by Mr Harrison and ridden by Salt
6. LOBSTER (25/1) owned by Mr Turner and ridden by Thorpe
7. MARMION (25/1) owned by Captain Lindsay and ridden by Knott
8. WEE WILLIE (10/1) owned by Mr Byrn and ridden by Nightingall
9. THE UNKNOWN (25/1) owned by Mr Scott and ridden by Lotan
10. TAMWORTH (10/1) owned by Mr Holman and ridden by Holman junior
The winner won by 4 lengths and 10 ran
I am grateful to Olive Marchant for the very rare picture of Queensferry shown below.
Thursday 4th April 1861
Grand National Hunt Steeplechase over 4 miles
Sweepstake of 10 sovereigns, with 300 sovereigns added
1. QUEENSFERRY (3/1 fav) 5-year-old owned by Mr B Angell and ridden by Edmund Burton
2. LIMNER (25/1) 6-year-old owned by Mr J Bennett and ridden by Captain Barclay
3. SOCKS (25/1) 5-year-old owned by Mr Duff and ridden by Walker
4. BORDERER (25/1) owned by Mr C Hewitt
5. GASLIGHT (25/1) owned by Mr Barry
6. THE DANDY (25/1) owned by Colonel Coles
7. BANTRY (100/7) owned by Mr Thomas
8. WHOS WHO (25/1) owned by Mr Webster
9. SELBY (25/1) owned by Mr Wallace
10. THE NIGGER (6/1) owned by Mr Edwards
11. SIR HENRY (6/1) owned by Mr Parker
12. BIJOU (25/1) owned by Mr Marsh
13. ROBIN REDBREAST (4/1) owned by Mr Goodman
14. JESTER (20/1) owned by Mr Lington
15. BRUNETTE (15/1) owned by Mr Mason
16. FERN (25/1) owned by Mr Gordon
17. UNNAMED chestnut horse (25/1) owned by Mr Robinson
It was hosted by Market Harborough on just one further occasion in 1863 when Socks was triumphant. The Steeplechase meeting was not staged in 1862, but the final occasion a grand steeplechase was held at Market Harborough was on Thursday 26th March 1863 and was a disappointing affair, which was probably why the experience was not repeated in future years. In the Great National Steeplechase over 4 miles was a shadow of it’s former self with just 4 runners and saw Socks beat Cheviot. The Farmers Grand Annual did entice 10 runners to contest the race, and it went to Lady Florence who got the better of Princess Royal, Grey Volunteer and Malta. The course was almost exactly the same as in 1861, but with minor changes to some of the worst parts of the course where the ridges and furrows were particularly severe. It was a figure of eight course, with a man-made water jump of 16 feet width in the middle. The Stand was moved from its previous position on Windmill Hill to a place in front of the Water Jump, and although this gave racegoers a spectacular view of the 4-foot high fence and spread of water immediately after the jump, it denied them a full view of the entire course. Several ox-fences were included this year, making the course more demanding than in 1861, especially as the whole course contained 27 fences.
April 1863
Grand National Hunt Steeplechase over 4 miles
1. Socks owned by Lord Calthorpe
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
