Haydock Racecourse is situated on Merseyside, halfway between Manchester and Liverpool. The course was originally established on Golborne Heath in Newton-le-Willows in 1752, but was transferred to its current location, three miles further north, in 1898. Today, the dual-purpose course stages 33 Flat and National Hunt meetings all year round.
Course Characteristics
The round course at Haydock is a left-handed, galloping oval, just over a mile and a half around. The six-furlong start, which is on a chute at the top of the home straight, is the lowest point on the course, such that the straight course, and the last half mile or so of the round course, rises steadily all the way to the winning post. On the steeplechase course, there are nine stiff fences per circuit and a run-in of 440 yards. On the hurdle course, which is inside, and appreciably sharper than, the steeplechase course, there are five flights of hurdles per circuit.
Track Facts
The longest standing race at Haydock, The Old Newton Cup, is the last surviving link between the current racecourse and the Old Golborne Heath Course, home of the so-called Newton Races.
In the 2006/07 season, Kauto Star won a £1 million bonus, known as the Betfair Million, for winning the Betfair Chase at Haydock, the King George VI Chase at Kempton and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The most valuable and prestigious race run at Haydock, the Sprint Cup, was upgraded to Group 1 status in 1988 and, today, forms part of the British Champion Series.