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 1,000th 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.