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I can only think of three UK/Ireland racecourses that can get referred to by another name, namely Doncaster (Town Moor), York (Knavesmire) and Cheltenham (Prestbury Park). Are there any more?
Love a trivia question!
Aintree – Liverpool
Chester – The Roodee
Newcastle – Gosforth Park
Wolverhampton – Dunstall ParkExpect there are others too…
Great stuff, thanks. I probably wouldn’t have considered Aintree/Liverpool (much like Musselburgh used to be called Edinburgh), but I knew of the other three and kicking myself now.
Cork racecourse was known as Mallow until 1998, and many still refer to it by its former name.
Aintree | Liverpool
Ascot |
Ayr |
Bangor-On-Dee |
Bath |
Beverley | The Westwood
Brighton |
Carlisle |
Cartmel |
Catterick Bridge |
Chelmsford City |
Cheltenham | Prestbury Park
Chepstow |
Chester | The Roodee
Doncaster | Town Moor
Epsom Downs |
Exeter | Haldon Hill
Fakenham |
Ffos Las |
Fontwell Park |
Goodwood |
Great Yarmouth |
Hamilton Park |
Haydock Park |
Hereford |
Hexham |
Huntingdon |
Kelso |
Kempton Park | The Sunbury Venue
Leicester |
Lingfield Park | Leafy
Ludlow |
Market Rasen |
Musselburgh | Edinburgh
Newbury |
Newcastle | Gosforth Park
Newmarket | HQ
Newton Abbot |
Nottingham |
Perth | Jump, Anti-clockwise
Plumpton |
Pontefract |
Redcar |
Ripon |
Salisbury |
Sandown Park | The Esher Venue
Sedgefield |
Southwell |
Stratford-on-Avon |
Taunton |
Thirsk |
Uttoxeter |
Warwick |
Wetherby | The A1 venue
Wincanton |
Windsor | Royal Windsor
Wolverhampton | Dunstall Park
Worcester |
York | The KnavesmireSome euphemisms, some nicknames, some names of the land they race on.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"There is an appendix at the back of Chris Pitt’s book “A Long Time Gone” which lists the racecourses still active and supplies alternative titles by which they are known.
Some have already been mentioned but others are:
Bath: Bath and Somerset County
Carlisle: Blackhall
Chepstow: Piercefield Park
Huntingdon: Brampton
Leicester: Oadby
Nottingham: Colwick Park
Perth: Scone Palace Park
Salisbury: Bibury Club
Wincanton: Kingwell
Worcester: PitchcroftI think most of the above are local names, rather than nationally known.
The alternative names for Carlisle and Leicester are for the villages where they are actually located, rather than the city.
One of the feature races at Wincanton is the Kingwell Hurdle, named after the local farm.
I have heard Nottingham referred to as Colwick Park on RTV. And I have heard locals in Worcester talk about going to “The Pitchcroft”.
From what I can remember, Oadby is the suburb of Leicester the racecourse is located in – quite nice it is too, or so it seemed to uni student me in 1982/4.
A bus from the railway station stopped directly outside the course – which was nice.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"In Ireland, Glad has already identified Cork/Mallow. The other tracks which have used alternative names are:
Downpatrick: County Down Hunt
Punchestown: Kildare and NH
Tipperary: Limerick Junction
Clonmel: Powerstown Park
Navan: Proudstown Park
Fairyhouse: Ward Union HuntSome of those are just historical curiosities. But I have heard Clonmel referred to by its alternative name and I certainly remember Tipperary being called Limerick Junction. It is situated next to the main railway junction in the south of Ireland.
I suppose the name was considered too similar to Limerick, so it was changed to the county where the course is found. The course is not in Tipperary town.
I am not sure. Presumably because it had become better known as Aintree than Liverpool.
Aintree is actually part of the neighbouring borough of Sefton and is not under the authority of Liverpool City Council.
BigG, Exeter Racecourse is located on Haldon Hill (pronounced hold-uhn) hence the name you mention. Good knowledge from the other end of the country! I believe it was officially ‘Devon and Exeter’ in the past.
A nice spot for a pre/post racing stroll if anyone is ever in the area.
It was still called Devon & Exeter when I first visited in the summer of the late 1970s.
Hard ground, grass parched yellow, stiff fences, a 3m1f chute start that bisected the big circuit right in front of the stands and, yes, simply outstanding to walk, I agree – “a racecourse cut out of a forest, high up on the top of a hill” was how my Dad used to describe it.
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"
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