Earliest meeting: October 1730
Final meeting: Wednesday 29th September 1875
The Staffordshire county town of Stafford is located 16 miles north of Wolverhampton and 18 miles south of Stoke on Trent. The ‘County History of Staffordshire’ recorded that the first race meeting held in the town was in October 1730, but that first period of racing did not survive beyond 1740. Meetings were revived in 1763 when a 3 day meeting from Wednesday 12th to Friday 14th October 1763 was held over the new Stafford course on Coton Field. The card consisted of three £50 prizes paid for in ‘new silk purses’ without any deduction, the first going to Maria owned by Mr McAmella, the second to Sportley owned by Mr Piper and the final one to Lilly owned by Mr Stoke. Often the meetings would end with a stag Hunt on Cannock Chase. Racing continued on a regular basis but for a short period between 1799 and 1805 when no racing appears to have taken place. Racing returned with a two day meeting on Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd October 1806, the All Age 4 mile Purse going to Mr Harris’s Wrexham Lass and the Handicap Plate to Mr Smith’s Overton beating Lord Stamford’s St Domingo. James Whyte’s History of the British Turf stated that Stafford racecourse was a complete oval of a mile but for a straight run in of a quarter of a mile, with meetings traditionally taking place at the start of October, but he thought the 1839 horses were of an inferior nature. There was a prolonged period without racing from the late 1840s to 1873, after which races were revived for just two years. The final meeting took place on Wednesday 29th September 1875.

Wednesday 12th October 1763
Stafford Silk Purse
1. Maria, brown filly owned by Mr McAmella
2. Mandarin, bay colt owned by Mr Wall
3. Billy, bay gelding owned by Mr Preston

Tuesday 12th October to Wednesday 13th October 1824

Stafford Gold Cup over 3 miles
1. Whittington owned by Mr Mytton walked over

Stafford Members Plate over 2 miles and a furlong
1. Palatine owned by Mr Turner
2. Unnamed brother to The Patriarch owned by Lord Anson
3. Libertine owned by Mr Beardsworth

Monday 1st & Tuesday 2nd June 1840

The Stafford 5 Sovereigns Sweepstakes over 2 miles
1. Valentine owned by Mr Clayton
2. Ascanius owned by Mr Moss
3. Viola owned by Mr Lacey

Stafford 3 Sovereign Sweepstakes over 1 ½ miles
1. Ascanius owned by Mr Moss
2. Viola owned by Mr Lacey
3. Frank owned by Mr Saunders
4. Sir Mark owned by Mr Walters
5. Unnamed filly by Saracen owned by Sir G Pigot

James Whyte’s History of the British Turf states that Stafford racecourse was a complete oval of a mile but for a straight run in of a quarter of a mile. Races take place at the start of October and in 1839 were of an inferior nature.

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