Horse racing has taken place at Hexham Racecourse in High Yarridge, Northumberland since 1793, but the first official National Hunt meeting was staged in 1890. The racecourse enjoys a prestigious location, 800 feet above sea level on the ridge line to the south of Hexham, and is set in a natural amphitheatre. The course has undergone a series of improvements in recent years, including an irrigation system and a new members’ stand, and hosts 14 National Hunt fixtures throughout the season.
Course Characteristics
Hexham Racecourse is a left-handed, undulating, testing oval, approximately a mile and a half around, with a run-in of a furlong. On the steeplechase course, there are ten easy fences per circuit, the last of which is on a finishing spur and on the hurdle course there are six flights of hurdles. The downhill back straight is compensated for by the uphill home straight, which places the emphasis very much on stamina.
Track Facts
The Heart of All England Maiden Hunters’ Chase at Hexham is one of the highlights of the season for steeplechasers from the point-to-point field in the north of England.
The late Campbell Gillies rode the first and last of his 131 winners in a tragically short career at Hexham. The stable staff accommodation at the racecourse now bears his name.
Jockey Ryan Mania, who won the 2013 Grand National on Auroras Encore, suffered neck and back injuries after a fall at Hexham the day after winning the National.