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areas, building the new
Sedgefield Pavilion in 1991 and the Theakston Suite in 1995, while increasing the number of corporate hospitality suites. Stable facilities were improved, not only for the horses, but for the stable staff, jockeys, owners and trainers. After Scotto's death in 1996 the course’s future was uncertain, though a state-of-the-art weighing room complex was constructed in 1998, with better facilities for jockeys, officials and medical staff. In 1999, the future of the course was questioned after a horrific incident in a novices' chase. Three horses were killed after three riderless horses ran into the remainder of the field after running up the chase track the wrong way. The racecourse had just narrowly avoided closure for the third time that century. The purchase of the course by
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famously described the course as “all field and not much sedge”. When Frank Scotto was appointed as chairman in 1977 following the death of Harry Lane the course was rumoured to be on the verge of closure. He instigated a series of improvements, replacing primitive tin huts with new bars and eating
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The finishing straight is about three furlongs in length, with a steep descent followed by a climb to the winning post after the last fence. It is also used as a venue for numerous other indoor and outdoor events, such as weddings and conferences. The course was almost shut down three times in the
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The Durham
National is a steeplechase run at an October meeting over the unusual distance of three and three quarter miles. One of the most popular winners in recent years was Fatehalkhair, a cast-off from one of the major flat race stables, who went on to win twenty races. Thirteen of them were
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course. This was because the obstacle nearest the finishing line was a water jump, which cannot be the first or last fence in a race. In 1994 it was replaced by an ordinary plain fence, and it is now jumped on the final circuit, making a run-in of conventional length. It is known as the Johnny
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the
Sedgefield Hunt staged an annual two-day fixture in March. When racing resumed the number of meetings soon increased to three, including a lucrative Bank Holiday fixture. A new Racecourse Company was founded in 1927, and has seen the fixtures gradually increase to the current level.
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Local businessman and racehorse owner John Wade sponsored a series of selling hurdle races throughout the season at
Sedgefield for a number of years, which in 2010 was upgraded to a series of novices' hurdles culminating in a final on the same night as the Durham National.
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was completed in 2001. Since then they have invested around ÂŁ600,000 on the racecourse, notably on a refurbished parade ring / winners enclosure, upgraded bars and eating areas and improvements to the course's drainage system.
127:, formed a club based at the Hardwick Arms and Sedgefield became the headquarters of the Ralph Lambton Hunt. Among the original members of the club were Ralph Brandling, then owner of
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Racing has been taking place at
Sedgefield since at least 1732, but little is known of these early meetings. In 1804 Ralph Lambton, an ancestor of the
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of the North. Racing may not have been staged every year and it was not until 1846 that officially recognised meetings were held.
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For many years the run from the last fence to the winning post was 525 yards, even longer than the run-in on the
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273:"King George VI Chase: Hewick comes through late to claim dramatic victory"
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Ridley fence as a result of the local bookmaker’s long sponsorship of it.
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over jumps, and they were all at
Sedgefield. The 2021 winner,
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154:Facilities only improved slowly, and in the 1960s
245:Gill, James. 1975. Racecourses of Great Britain (
275:. December 26, 2023 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
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92:course, used for jump racing. It is owned by
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131:and Robert Surtees, the father of
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96:and located close to the town of
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1027:Horse racing venues in England
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868:British Horseracing Authority
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236:Sedgefield racecourse website
185:, meanwhile, went on to be a
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889:Horserace Betting Levy Board
300:Course guide on At The Races
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88:is an English left-handed
224:The Sporting Life website
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1003:54.6463667°N 1.4663528°W
963:Television broadcasting
953:Jockey Club Racecourses
262:The Racing Post website
195:American Grand National
1008:54.6463667; -1.4663528
295:Course guide on GG.COM
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884:British Racing School
846:British Classic Races
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86:Sedgefield Racecourse
930:Arena Racing Company
199:King George VI Chase
133:Robert Smith Surtees
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994:1°27′58.87″W
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877:Other bodies
699:Colwall Park
663:Sandown Park
633:Kempton Park
628:Haydock Park
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419:Market Rasen
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648:Musselburgh
512:Epsom Downs
148:World War I
63:Course type
53:Screened on
1021:Categories
914:Weatherbys
861:Regulation
811:Folkestone
763:Birmingham
723:Manchester
715:Hurst Park
684:since 1945
542:Pontefract
537:Nottingham
439:Sedgefield
404:Huntingdon
374:Cheltenham
209:References
98:Sedgefield
44:(formerly
28:Sedgefield
19:Sedgefield
972:Racing TV
819:Towcester
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638:Leicester
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608:Catterick
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603:Carlisle
517:Goodwood
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492:Beverley
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394:Hereford
384:Fakenham
201:winner.
137:Jorrocks
38:Owned by
24:Location
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747:Lincoln
691:Newport
653:Newbury
567:Windsor
507:Chester
459:Warwick
449:Taunton
369:Cartmel
359:Aintree
112:History
822:(2019)
814:(2012)
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798:(1977)
795:Lanark
790:(1974)
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562:Thirsk
547:Redcar
414:Ludlow
399:Hexham
379:Exeter
343:Venues
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183:Hewick
146:Until
141:Melton
932:(16)
739:Lewes
731:Woore
593:Ascot
586:Mixed
552:Ripon
429:Perth
409:Kelso
955:(14)
939:and
577:York
487:Bath
479:Flat
247:ISBN
197:and
968:ITV
943:by
787:Wye
598:Ayr
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48:)
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