Brighton Racecourse
The English horse racing venue known as Brighton Racecourse is located on Whitehawk Hill to the northeast of Brighton in East Sussex. This area of countryside is known as the South Downs. The course is located about a mile away from the coast at approximately 400 feet above sea level. The layout of the course is often compared to Epsom Racecourse because the track does not complete a full circuit, instead it is a horseshoe shape of one and a half miles. The left-handed course is used for flat racing from April through until October. There are 21 fixtures events, notably Frosts’ Ladies Day and the Festival of Racing which both occur in August.
Historical references indicate that horse racing was present in Brighton before 1713. However, it was not until 1781 that the first official public racing events took place on Whitehawk Hill. It is thought that The Prince of Wales, who went on the become King George IV, helped the venue to take off after attending Brighton with his elite noble associates. The well-to-do friends took to racing on the track which helped to raise the profile further.
At one time the course, the course was slightly longer and hosted four-mile races that would loop back towards the start line at the halfway point.
Brighton the Prince of Wales and his aristocratic friends eventually lost interest and without their presence the racetrack began to deteriorate. In 1850, the arrival of Brighton railway helped the course to begin to flourish again as it made it much easier for Londoners to visit. A new stand was commissioned and the Brighton Cup was initiated, this led to the course hosting becoming a top class racing venue once again. By the end of World War Two, there were grandstands on both sides of the home straight. During the 1960s, Brighton Racecourse hosted the Derby Trial. In 1998, the town sold 81 % of Brighton racecourse to Northern Racing group, who then invested £4 million in a restoration project for the facility. In 2012, Northern Racing group joined a partnership with Arena Racing and the joint venture rebranded the company name to Arena Racing Company.
Memorable events at Brighton Racecourse include racehorse owner Sheikh Mohammed’s first win in 1977. Top class American Jockey, Steve Cauthen won his 1,000th British race there in 1987. More recently, local rider and Champion jockey Ryan Moore has enjoyed success at the facility, while his father, Gary Moore, who trains horses in the area, also favours the course.
Based on the quality of racing and the amount of its prize money amount on offer, Brighton Racecourse is one of Britain’s smaller facilities. Despite its relatively low ranking, the venue has been known to attract crowds of over 20,000 for events such as the three-day summer Festival, Family Race Day in September and the Grand Finale at the end of the season in October. Brighton Racecourse offers many different tickets to suit all budgets from general admission tickets to full champagne packages. Facilities include Grandstand seating, the Parade Ring lawn area, a selections of bars and eateries, Tote betting facilities, on-site bookies, picnic zones and much more. Prices start from as little as £9.00.
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