Scottsville Racecourse is situated in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, approximately a mile and a half from the centre of the capital city, Pietermaritzburg. The racecourse was established, as the City Sporting Club, in 1886 and, at one time, was home to the South African Fillies’ Guineas, the South African Fillies’ Sprint and the Oaks. In 2006, an additional track was constructed at Scottsville Racecourse, at a cost of R4.6 million, allowing the number of fixtures staged to be increased by two-thirds.

Course Characteristics

The round course at Scottsville is a tight, right-handed turf oval, 2,300 metres, or nearly 11½ furlongs, in circumference, with a home straight 550 metres, or nearly 2¾ furlongs, long. The straight course, on which races up to 1,200 metres, or 6 furlongs, are run, joins the round course at the top of the home straight. The straight course runs downhill for the first 400 metres, or 2 furlongs, but uphill for the last 500 metres, or 2½ furlongs, and tends to favour horses coming from off the pace. Horses drawn on the outside hold a distinct advantage on the straight course when the going is soft.

Track Facts

The most valuable race of the year at Scottsville is the Golden Horse Casino Sprint, run over 1,200 metres, or 6 furlongs, in May each year.

The Golden Horse Casino Sprint, formerly the Gilbey’s Stakes, was inaugurated in 1962. The total prize money on that occasion was R7,000 compared with R750,000 in 2013.

The family comedy movie Racing Stripes, about a young zebra who sets his heart on becoming a racehorse, was filmed, in part, at Scottsville Racecourse in 2004.

Brighton Racecourse was moved to its current location, high on Whitehawk Hill, on the South Downs, overlooking the English Channel, in 1822. Under the auspices of the Arena Racing Company (ARC), the largest racecourse group in the country, the Brighton has undergone significant refurbishment in recent years and stages 21 Flat fixtures a year, including the popular August Festival.

Course Characteristics

Brighton is a left-handed, sharp, undulating horseshoe, just under a mile and a half in length. The course isn’t, in fact, a complete circuit, so the longest race possible is over 1 mile 3 furlongs and 196 yards; there’s no straight course either. The defining features of Brighton are pronounced undulations throughout and marked camber towards the inside of the track in the home straight, making it best suited to agile, nimble types. The peculiar characteristics of Brighton often produce course specialists.

Track Facts

Brighton and Hove City Council owns a 20% share of Brighton racecourse.

On August 5 1987, Steve Cauthen rode his 1,000^th winner in Britain on odds-on favourite Picnicing won at Brighton

On July 26 1990, Chase The Door, a 5-year-old gelding trained by John Sutcliffe and ridden by Michael Wigham, won the Brighton Summer Challenge Cup Handicap, run over a mile on hard going, in a time 1m 30.90s. In so doing, he broke the world record for a mile.

On the second day of the August Festival, known as Ladies’ Day, in 2012, jockey Darryl Holland rode a 4,142/1 four-timer at Brighton.

In September 2012, Brighton was awarded a matinee fixture, starting at midday and lasting approximately two and a half hours, by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). The meeting was one of six, which took place on consecutive Fridays, as part of a trial by the BHA to increase betting shop turnover.

York Racecourse, often referred to as the Knavesmire, after the area of land on which it was established in 1731, is situated southwest of York city centre. Originally a dual-purpose venue, National Hunt racing ceased in 1885 but, under the auspices of the York Racecourse Committee, the course has continued to flourish right up to the present day. Today, York Racecourse plays host to 16 Flat meetings between April and October.

Course Characteristics

The round course at York is left-handed, galloping oval, two miles in circumference, with a five-furlong home straight. The flatness and width of the racing surface, together with the sweeping turn into the straight, makes York one of the fairest racecourses in the country. The straight course, on which races up to six furlongs are run, shows no appreciable draw bias.

Track Facts

The longest priced winners of the John Smith’s Cup, run over 1 mile 2 furlongs and 88 yards in July, were Space King in 1964 and Achilles in 1999 (both 25/1).

The Juddmonte International Stakes, run over 1 mile 2 furlongs and 88 yards in August, is the most valuable race of the year at York.

The Juddmonte International Stakes was inaugurated as the Benson & Hedges Gold Cup in 1972. That year, Brigadier Gerard was defeated, for the one and only time in his career, by Roberto.

“Royal Ascot at York” replaced Royal Ascot during the redevelopment of the Berkshire track in 2005.