Uttoxeter Racecourse

A practical guide to the character of Uttoxeter's jump course, including the type of horse it tends to suit, the difficulty of its fences and comparable tracks.

About Uttoxeter Racecourse

Uttoxeter Racecourse was built in 1907 and has staged jump racing ever since. Considerable investment has been made in the course, helping to create a modern venue with strong facilities for racegoers.

Key Characteristics

Uttoxeter is a sharp, left-handed mile-and-a-quarter circuit. There are eight demanding fences on each circuit, and the track tends to suit smaller, nippy horses rather than out-and-out gallopers.

Course Summary

Track: Tight and left-handed

Finish: Generally easy

Fences: Quite difficult

Interesting Facts

Uttoxeter was built in 1907 to take over the racing rights and licence of the nearby Keele Park course, which had just closed.
The track was shut down during both World Wars — requisitioned by the army in WWII — and didn't reopen until 1952, when a crowd of 12,000 turned out for the first meeting back.
Local bookmaker and council chairman Olive Davis led the fundraising drive that modernised the course in the 1960s, earning her the nickname "the Mrs Topham of Uttoxeter" after Aintree's only other female racecourse chairman at the time.
Lord Gyllene, owned by former Uttoxeter chairman Sir Stanley Clarke, finished second in the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter in 1997 before winning the actual Grand National at Aintree just weeks later.
Jockey Josh Gifford equalled Fred Winter's record of 121 winners in a season at Uttoxeter in 1967, and John Francome rode his 800th career winner there in 1982.
AP McCoy's 1,700th career win, a National Hunt record at the time, came at Uttoxeter in 2002 aboard Mighty Montefalco.

Similar Courses

Form from the following courses may be particularly relevant when assessing runners at Uttoxeter:

Bangor
Fontwell
Kelso
Aintree
Newton Abbot
Southwell
Stratford