Worcester Racecourse

Worcester Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in the city of Worcester, Worcestershire, England.[1] Horse racing has taken place here since at least 1718.[2] It staged Flat racing until 1966 but has since staged National Hunt racing only.

Worcester
LocationWorcester, Worcestershire
Owned byWorcester City Council (Leased to Arena Leisure Plc)
Screened onSky Sports Racing
Course typeNational Hunt
Official website

It is popularly known by Worcester residents as 'Pitchcroft' and is just short of 100 acres.[2] From 1893 the Worcester Rugby Club played on ground enclosed by the racecourse for a number of years.[3] In 1902 Berwick Rangers and Worcester Rovers football clubs amalgamated taking the present name of Worcester City F.C. playing on an enclosed area of the racecourse called Severn Terrace (behind the present Swan Theatre) until the start of the 1905 season.[3]

The course is laid out as a left handed oval circuit of about 13 furlongs (approximately 2,615 metres) in length, with nine fences (five down the back straight and four in the home straight) and situated by the east bank of the River Severn and the north side of Worcester Bridge.[1]

During the 2007 floods, the racecourse was inundated and all the fixtures after June 30 had to be cancelled. [4]

As of July 2019, 55 horses had been killed at the course since 2007.[5]

References
  1. British Racing and Racecourses (ISBN 978-0950139722) by Marion Rose Halpenny - Page 247
  2. Doughty, Judd (June 2010), "Not Just a Racecourse", Worcestershire Life, p. 40
  3. Doughty, Judd (June 2010), "Not Just a Racecourse", Worcestershire Life, p. 42
  4. BBC - Hereford and Worcester - No racing at Worcester (Accessed 02 Aug 07)
  5. "1417 Deaths in 3412 Days". Race Horse Death Watch. Animal Aid. Retrieved 14 July 2016.


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