Earliest meeting: Thursday 21st September 1732
Final meeting: Thursday 1st September 1763
Racing was first recorded in the Hertfordshire hamlet of Odsey on Thursday 21st September 1732. The hamlet, situated south of Steeple Morden and West of Royston, was once known as the Odesy Hundred. As such it contained a number of parishes, notably Ashwell, Wallington and Royston. John Cheny provided details of the inaugural meeting in 1732, while Baily’s Racing Register first provided detailed results from the meeting in September 1733 when the 50 Guineas Purse was claimed by Lord Weymouth with his horse Whittington. In 1751 the meeting was extended to two days on Monday 2nd and Tuesday 3rd September. On day one the 60 Guineas Purse went to Charles Churchill’s Cumberland, while the next day the £50 Purse was won by Sir Edward Hale with Drudge. Meetings continued to be frequent and successful until a final card on Thursday 1st September 1763 when Mr Prockter’s grey mare got the better of entries from Mr Boyer and Mr Dimsdale in the Sweepstake.

Odsey 60 Guineas Purse, Odsey £50 Purse

Thursday 21st September 1732
Odsey 50 Guineas Purse
1. WHY NOT, grey gelding owned by Sir Casar Child 3 1 1
2. DANGERFIELD, grey horse owned by Mr Floyer 1 5 wdr
3. QUIET-CUDDY, grey horse owned by Earl of Portmore 2 2 3
4. BETTY MACKREL, grey mare owned by Mr Gulston 4 3 2
5. WHY NOT, bay gelding owned by Mr Forrester 5 4 4
6. STRIPLING, brown horse owned by Mr Nightingale dist
6 ran
Friday 22nd September 1732
Odsey 12 Guineas Galloway Plate
1. WILLING NANCY, chestnut mare owned by Mr Robinson 1 1
2. MOVING SKELETON, grey gelding owned by Mr Holland 2 2
3. DIANA BENTLEY, chestnut mare owned by Mr Daniels 3 3
4. NOW OR NEVER, chestnut gelding owned by Mr Dean 5 4
5. LUCY LOCKETT, chestnut mare owned by Sir Peter Soames 4 dist
5 ran
Saturday 23rd September 1732
Odsey 15 Guineas Purse
1. NOW OR NEVER, chestnut gelding owned by Mr Dean 1 1
2. UNNAMED bay gelding owned by Mr Weeden 2 2
3. UNNAMED roan horse owned by Mr Woodman dist
3 ran

Sunday 27th September 1733

Odsey 50 Guineas Purse
1. Whittington owned by Lord Weymouth
2. Foxhunter owned by Sir H Molyneux
3. Leadenheels owned by Mr Panton

Monday 2nd September 1751 Odsey 60 Guineas Purse
1. Cumberland owned by Charles Churchill
2. Saucebox owned by Jacob Houblon
3. Dung Cart owned by William Harvey
4. Romeo owned by Honourable Josiah Child

Tuesday 3rd September 1751 Odsey Fifty Pounds Purse
1. Drudge owned by Sir Edward Hale
2. Arthur of Bradley owned by Mr Bradley
3. Bay by Crab owned by Mr Panton
4. Collier owned by Mr Cheshire

Tuesday 26th September 1752 Hunters Purse of Fifty Pounds
1. True Blue owned by Sir Charles Sedley
2. Cumberland owned by Mr Churchill
3. Dung Cart owned by Mr Harvey

Wednesday 27th September 1752 Fifty Pounds Purse
1. True Blue owned by Mr Robinson
2. Charmer owned by Sir Charles Sedley
3. Midas owned by Mr Meridith

Thursday 28th September 1752 Odsey Fifty Guineas Stakes
1. Favourite owned by Mr Cranmer
2. Creeping Kate owned by Mr Calvert
3. Prime owned by Mr Lockwood

Monday 2nd September 1754 Odsey Fifty Guineas Purse
1. Champion owned by Mr Harvey
2. Cream Pot owned by Mr Churchill
3. Fortunatus owned by Mr Robinson

Thursday 1st September 1763 Odsey Sweepstakes
1. Grey mare owned by Mr Prockter
2. Brown horse owned by Mr Boyer
3. Bay mare owned by Mr Dimsdale

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