Haydock Park

In the 18th and early 19th centuries the hugely popular Newton races held at Old Golborne Heath racecourse were appreciated by royalty and locals alike. When the racecourse closed in the late 19th century the races moved to the newly built Haydock Park course residing in 127 acres of Lord Newton`s land. The feature race of the Newton races is still run under the name of the Old Newton Cup at Haydock Park. The race, first recorded in 1807, is run over a mile-and-a-half at the July meeting.

Nowadays, Haydock Park racecourse (Lodge Lane, Newton-le- Willows, Merseyside WA12 0HQ, tel. 01942 725963) enjoys its number one position as most visited racecourse in the UK. The racecourse lies equidistant from Manchester and Liverpool, one mile from Junction 23 of the M6. Access is also possible via public transport.

The course itself hosts flat and jumps meetings - it stages about 32 fixtures a year. The flat course is a left-handed oval run over a distance of 1 mile and 5 furlongs, with a run-in of 4.5 furlongs. The effect of the draw in flat races is significant. Low numbers seem to have a significant advantage, especially when the going is soft or heavy. The jumps course is known for its testing drop fences and long run-in. The jumps course is a good `trial` for potential Aintree and even Cheltenham Festival horses as it is a test of jumping and stamina.

Trainers who have particular success here include Michael Jarvis on the flat and Sue Smith, Kim Bailey and Venetia Williams over the jumps.

The pinnacle of the flat season is the Group I Stanleybet Sprint Cup held in early September and the highlight of the jumps season is the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup in February. This race is often billed as a trial for the Grand National. The most prolific Grand National horse of all time, Red Rum, used this race as his prep run for all of the five years of his Aintree reign. Party Politics (1992) and Earth Summit (1998) were also notable graduates of this race.

Up-coming meetings in 2010 are Friday 30th July the `Summer Loving` Evening Racing and in August on the 5th it is the M.E.N Summer Family Raceday, on the 6th it is Ladie`s Evening Finale and on the 7th it is the Totesport Rose of Lancaster Stakes.

The course offers a good variety of catering. There are cafes and bars that serve hot and cold food and snacks, in addition to Colours, a bistro-type restaurant; Park Suite Restaurant and the less formal Harry`s Bistro. There is a dress code for men in the County Enclosure and jackets and ties need to be worn in the Park Suite Restaurant or Premier Enclosure.

There are four grandstands at Haydock Park, each with a different character - the Premier Enclosure is the most sophisticated, the County Stand has great facilities, Tattersalls has a party atmosphere and Newton Stand is a little more relaxed.

 There is a very active betting market at Haydock Park and racegoers would do well to visit horse racing tips for some hot tips for meetings at this popular racecourse. For further horse racing tips visithttp://www.freeracingtips.co.uk/.