Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the Lockinge Stakes.
The Racecourse is noted for its proximity to the Lambourn training centre, which means that the course is often home to locally-grown talent as well as attracting horses from further afield. Newbury's major races include the Lockinge Stakes, one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, and its most famous race, the Coral Gold Cup (formerly known as the Hennessy Gold Cup).
History
Although the Racecourse on its current site was not established until 1905, the first recorded horse racing in Newbury took place in 1805 with ‘Newbury Races’, an annual two-day race meeting at Enborne Heath. The meeting lasted until 1811 when it transferred to Woodhay Heath until 1815.
The Racecourse came into being in the early 20th century, when Kingsclere trainer John Porter proposed a new racecourse in Newbury, which was eventually approved with the support of King Edward VII. In April 1904, the Newbury Racecourse Company was founded, purchased the land and constructed the buildings and stables on the current site.
On 26 and 27 September 1905, the first ever race meeting took place at Newbury Racecourse. Copper King, ridden by Charlie Trigg and trained by Charles Marnes, won the opening race, the Whatcombe Handicap. The Racecourse's founder John Porter trained Zelis to win the Regulation Plate on 27 September.
National Hunt racing followed shortly after Flat racing and in 1906, nine days racing were planned for Newbury – six on the Flat and three over Jumps. The Racecourse has been home to both Flat and Jump racing ever since, and celebrated its centenary in 2005.
During the First World War, the Racecourse was used as a prisoner-of-war camp for German prisoners.
Queen Elizabeth II was a regular attendee of race meetings at Newbury, most notably in 2012, when she celebrated her 86th birthday there.
In September 2020 it was reported that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Newbury Racecourse had experienced a 68% loss of turnover for the first 6 months of 2020.
In January 2021 a COVID-19 vaccination centre was established at Newbury Racecourse.
Concerts
Newbury Racecourse has increasingly played host to numerous live concerts in recent years. This has predominantly been through the Party in the Paddock, in which horse racing meets during the summer are accompanied by a live concert at the end of racing.
One of the first concerts held at the Racecourse was by Welsh reggae-metal band Skindred in 2006, followed by English reggae and pop band UB40 in July 2008. The latter was one of two concerts held in 2008, with Irish boyband Boyzone performing in August as part of the Ladies Day horse racing meet.
Since 2008, Newbury Racecourse has held between 1 and 3 concerts each year, mostly in support of horse racing meets. This has included three appearances by Madness, Tom Jones, Simply Red and Olly Murs.
American singer Lionel Richie was forced to cancel a performance at Newbury Racecourse in September 2012 due to illness, which would have been his first performance in the UK since 2009.
American girl group Pussycat Dolls were scheduled to perform at Newbury Racecourse as part of the Party in the Paddock on 15 August 2020, but was cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the Party in the Paddock would return in 2021, when Olly Murs performed the first concert at Newbury Racecourse following the COVID-19 pandemic on 14 August, with an audience of 17,000. Murs had to perform with a leg brace following a serious knee injury. He returned to perform at Newbury Racecourse in August 2023, his third appearance at the venue.
Facilities
The racecourse has a dedicated railway station, which sees heavy traffic and additional trains on race days. It also acts as a venue for conferences, meetings, weddings and Hen and Stag parties.
2011 incident
On 12 February 2011, two horses, Marching Song and Fenix Two, collapsed and died in the Paddock while parading for the first race of the day. Two others also appeared to have been affected, Kid Cassidy and The Merry Giant. The novice hurdle race went ahead, starting about 20 min late, but the rest of the day's racing was abandoned.
On 17 February, the preliminary results of the investigation into the incident were released.