Sedgefield Racecourse
Encyclopedia
Sedgefield Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Sedgefield
, County Durham
, England
. The course is undulating, left-handed and about ten furlongs in circumference. The steeplechase course consists of eight fences per circuit, with the open ditch the penultimate obstacle. What is now the final fence was formerly a water jump, this being changed to a plain fence in 1994. As the water was bypassed on the run-in this gave Sedgefield the unique feature of having an open-ditch as the final fence. The going can get very heavy and the final 100 yards is up a steep incline which can lead to changes in fortune of the front runners.
During summer, there is a popular car boot sale held in the carpark.
The course hosts 19 National Hunt Racing fixtures over 11 months of the year.
In 2008 the racecourse was reported as having among the highest numbers of horse deaths in Britain. Animal Aid
stated that 11 horses died at Sedgefield Racecourse in only 17 days of racing since March 2007 and March 2008.
Sedgefield
Sedgefield is a small town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It has a population of 4,534.Sedgefield has attracted particular attention as the Member of Parliament for the wider Sedgefield constituency was the former Prime Minister Tony Blair; he was the area's MP from 1983 to 2008,...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The course is undulating, left-handed and about ten furlongs in circumference. The steeplechase course consists of eight fences per circuit, with the open ditch the penultimate obstacle. What is now the final fence was formerly a water jump, this being changed to a plain fence in 1994. As the water was bypassed on the run-in this gave Sedgefield the unique feature of having an open-ditch as the final fence. The going can get very heavy and the final 100 yards is up a steep incline which can lead to changes in fortune of the front runners.
During summer, there is a popular car boot sale held in the carpark.
The course hosts 19 National Hunt Racing fixtures over 11 months of the year.
In 2008 the racecourse was reported as having among the highest numbers of horse deaths in Britain. Animal Aid
Animal Aid
Animal Aid, founded in 1977, is a British animal rights organisation. The group campaigns peacefully against all forms of animal abuse and promotes a cruelty-free lifestyle. It also investigates and exposes animal cruelty....
stated that 11 horses died at Sedgefield Racecourse in only 17 days of racing since March 2007 and March 2008.