Stratford-on-Avon Racecourse, more widely known as Stratford, has been holding race meets since the middle of the 1700s. The venue can trace its beginnings back to informal meetings on Shottery Meadow all the way up until now, as it attracts top jockeys, trainers and racegoers. With that in mind, let’s delve into the past and present of the course.
Annual Races & Betting Markets
Approximately five million people watch horse racing live on the racecourse every year. They are drawn to the spectacle of it all, the dressing up – never more so than this Sunday, Ladies Day – and of course, horse racing betting, which continues to remain popular. Sites like Paddy Power offer bettors odds on races like the Stewards Cup raced at Goodwood where horses like Hammer the Hammer and Annaf are offered at 14/1, or else the chance to use a bet calculator to calculate potential winnings that cover all types of bets and conditions. Apart from picking outright winners, they can choose specials or even bet on virtual horses. Whether online or in-person, betting remains an integral part of the raceday.
When it comes to Stratford races, events like the Stratford Summer Salver in July and Ladies Day remain popular. The track hosts up to 19 National Hunt meetings during race season, from March to November. Thousands are drawn to these events hoping to see in-form horses and jockeys triumph. The highlight of the season is the Pertemps Network Stratford Foxhunters Champion Chase. Recent winners include Chosen Dream (2018) and Law of Gold (2021), with prize purses reaching around £20,000. it’s a day when Stratford celebrates the sport’s roots in the hunting field unashamedly.
Historic Roots and early evolution
The first race took place here in 1718, but it was over 30 years later when the first official race took place, as Stratford Racecourse opened. Since then it has had a long and storied history, with luminaries such as David Garrick, who created the Jubilee Cup in 1769, often coming to raceday. Inevitably, connections to one William Shakespeare abound. Landowner objections nearly forced the course to shut before it had really got going, but racing emerged just as popular as ever in the 1800s, featuring horses like Lottery, who would go on to win the Grand National. In the early part of the 1900s, the two World Wars caused a hiatus for racing, but once again it bounced back and continues to be popular at the track to this day.
The advent of a formalized summer Jumps programme some 30 years ago put the racecourse on a sounder footing, allowing it to benefit from larger crowds not put off by winter weather, and abandoned meetings due to flooding from the adjacent River Avon, whilst still a regular occurrence, do not play the havoc they used to with racecourse finances. All is not perfect however. As a small independent course, Stratford is ill-equipped to combat the bigger influence of the large racecourse groups, and has lost lucrative Friday evenings, switched largely to Sundays.
The course remains one of the few in private hands, with a majority shareholding owned by Chairman Michael Rowe, and the late Nick Lees, one time CEO and Clerk of Course at Newmarket, was typical of the depth of racing knowledge among the directors, all of whom see themselves as guardians of this sporting treasure in Warwickshire.
Course characteristics & facilities
As for the course itself, it is known for speed, and rewards horses that have high levels of endurance and can maintain their rhythm over fences. There are eight of these to jump, along with one water jump which was added nearly 20 years ago in front of the stands. The track measures a mile and two furlongs, and due to its compactness, it is rare to see challengers who are off the pace come back into contention. This then is a track where it pays to be handy, or indeed, to lead from flagfall.
As time has moved on, so have the course facilities, with regular updates throughout the years. A grandstand was added in 1955, restaurants came shortly after, with a modern glass-fronted grandstand built in 1997. Next up are alterations to the Jockeys’ changing rooms to accommodate changing exercise regimes and the growth of women riders. Although it may have come from humble beginnings, a day at Stratford racing is not to be missed. The signature Foxhunters and Summer Salver fixtures are the highlights of the season and offer a vibrant occasion in the National Hunt calendar.
