Bath Racecourse has stood on Lansdown Hill, overlooking the historic city of Bath, since 1811. Originally, Bath staged just one, two-day meeting annually, but its fixture list has expanded over the years, such that it now stages 19 Flat racing meetings and attracts 80,000 visitors a year. However, prospective racegoers should be aware that Bath racecourse will be operating a “one enclosure” policy for the 2013 season, after the main grandstand was condemned by the local council. Remedial work on the grandstand was hindered by adverse weather early in 2013 and no date has been announced for its completion.
Course Characteristics
The round course at Bath is a left-handed, galloping oval, approximately mile and a half around. Sprint races start on a chute that joins the round course at the top of the home straight, which is nearly half a mile long and uphill all the way to the winning post.
Track Facts
Bath racecourse has the distinction of being the highest Flat racecourse in the country at a height of 780 feet above sea level.
The Somerset Stakes, first run in 1832, was originally a trial for the Derby. A race of the same name, run over 5 furlongs and 161 yards, was resurrected in 2011, as part of the bicentenary celebrations at Bath Racecourse
The only Listed race run at Bath is the Lansdown Fillies’ Stakes, which takes place during the opening fixture of the season in April. The 2010 winner, Gilt Edge Girl, went on to win the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp the following October.