Towcester Racecourse is located in Northamptonshire, England. It once hosted the National Hunt racing every winter. It also hosted the English Derby for a number of years. The facility also had a greyhound track, which opened in 2014.
After going into administration in 2018, the future of Towcester Racecourse was uncertain. However, in October 2019, after a year of administration, the owners confirmed that it would not reopen.
History of Towcester Racecourse
The first official meeting at Towcester Racecourse took place in 1928. At that time, Towcester Racecourse Company operated the racecourse, under the direction of Lord Hesketh. At that time, the company built a grandstand. From then on, it was always a popular course.
Particularly for racing enthusiasts, the track’s very sharp bends were a bid draw and made for exciting races. One of the venue’s most notable moments was in November 2013 when Tony McCoy won his 4,000th race.
In 2004, the Easton Neston estate put Towcester Racecourse up for sale, along with their other holdings in the region. Sometime later, Hesketh changed his mind. That is, he decided to stay on as the owner. As a result, he only sold a slice of the state to another party.
The racecourse was free admission through the noughties. Because of that, races at Towcester Racecourse were extremely popular. After 2006, admission was still free. However, two feature days now included a ticket price:
- the Boxing Day meetings, and
- the Easter Sunday meetings
Despite its popularity, in 2008, Lord Hesketh put the track up for sale again.
Struggles at the Racecourse
In August 2018, the future of Towcester Racecourse was in major doubt. Towcester Racecourse Company released a statement saying that they were having difficulties with trading. They said that they were trying to find a path forward to secure the future of the track. They had no other option but to get court protection. The track went into administration.
As a result, horse and greyhound racing was cancelled at the track indefinitely. The firm KPMG took over as the administrator of Towcester Racecourse. Shortly after, the majority of the staff at the track were forced into redundancy. After the venue’s administration, Fermor Land LLP bought the assets of the track. It’s stayed closed since.
The Racecourse
When it was up and running, Towcester Racecourse was a parkland track and was a very scenic location for holding races. The track was dedicated to jumps racing and it was a very challenging track. In fact, Towcester earned a reputation as one of the toughest tracks all across Great Britain.
Towcester was a right-handed track and was all uphill for the last mile. This interesting track made for many exciting finishes. For example, horses often came in and out of contention over this last stretch. The track was particularly tough when the ground conditions tested the horses. Horses had to expend a lot of energy starting off, only to also struggle on the homeward stretch.
While the hurdles weren’t too high, there were quite a few casualties on the course. This was mainly because horses tired quickly resulting in errors. For instance, numerous horses got caught on a final couple of fences when in the lead. It was an all-round challenging track.
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Towcester Racecourse will stay closed for the time being. However, you can still place bets on races taking place at other tracks. There are many betting operators to choose from for your horse racing needs. At Roger.com, experts review and assess these bookmakers to give you the most relevant, unbiased results.
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