Pontefract Racecourse - Pontefract, UK - Horse Racing Tracks on Waymarking.com

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The track is left-handed undulating course with a sharp bend into the home straight. Horses drawn low (i.e. on the inside of the track) usually have the advantage. The final 3 furlongs of the track are uphill, making it quite testing.

The course was originally a horseshoe of 1 1/2 miles, but in 1983, it was converted into a full circuit of about 2 miles. This made it one of the longest continuous flat racing circuits in Europe and allowed it to stage one of the longest races in the calendar at 2 miles 5 furlongs 133 yard.

History

Racing is recorded as having taken place in Pontefract as early as 1648, just before the local Castle was taken by the forces of Oliver Cromwell. Races were held in the meadows near the town but these were discontinued by 1769. The townsfolk restarted the sport in 1801 and it has continued ever since. In 1827 the races were held in September and reported as being very fashionably attended.

While it cannot "claim to be one of Yorkshire's major courses" it was used for some major races during World War II when other courses were out of action. These included the war substitute Lincoln and November Handicaps.

Pontefract installed a photo finish in 1952 and was also the first English course to have a dope testing facility.

The course traditionally began its afternoon race meetings at 2.45 pm - later than most other courses - so that miners at the adjacent colliery could finish the morning shift in time to go racing. This remained the case until the colliery closed in 2002." link

Types of Races: Thoroughbred Racing Season: From: 04/04/2022 To: 10/23/2022 Year Opened: 01/01/1648 Famous Races: Month Day Race Name Distance June Sunday Pontefract Castle Stakes   1m 4f July Sunday Pomfret Stakes 1m 6y August Tuesday Pipalong Stakes 1m 4y August Sunday   Flying Fillies' Stakes   6f October   Monday Silver Tankard Stakes 1m 4y Additional Information: The racecourse is in a large area of public parkland and and local nature reserve. It has footpaths in the area including around the racecourse, although free access to the racecourse itself is not available on race days. There is free parking including on race days, but the number of spaces for race days is limited. Extra parking is available on race days for a charge. There is a Tote betting service on the course. With the Tote you are betting into a pool. That means all the money staked on each horse in the race is pooled together. After the race, everyone who has backed the winner will receive a share of that pool money, depending on the size of their original stake. There are also bookmakers on the side of the track where the winnings are determined by the odds given by the bookmakers. Racecourse Web Site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:

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