Derby Racecourse

Derby

The racecourse, painted in 1913 by Alfred John Keene
Location	Derby, Derbyshire, England
Coordinates	52°55′45″N 1°27′42″W / 52.92917°N 1.46167°W / 52.92917; -1.46167Coordinates: 52°55′45″N 1°27′42″W / 52.92917°N 1.46167°W / 52.92917; -1.46167
Owned by	Derby Corporation
Operated by	Derby Recreation Company
Date opened	1848 (at Nottingham Road)
Date closed	1939

Derby Racecourse is a former horse racing venue in Derby, England, from 1848 to 1939. It was preceded by two earlier courses, at different locations.

Races were first held on Sinfin Moor in the early 18th century, before relocating to The Holmes.

It is unknown exactly when horse racing first started in Derby, although a reference to racing in the town occurs in the play Monsieur Thomas, published in 1639. Races associated with fairs were probably held at a variety of locations, perhaps including Nuns' Green in the modern West End. Sinfin Moor, located some way south of Derby, was being used by the early 18th century – probably by 1707 and certainly by 1733, although racing still took place elsewhere as well.

By 1748, Sinfin Moor had become established as the fixed venue for racing in Derby, with a prefabricated grandstand being erected. Racing was becoming increasingly fashionable, and meetings were held in conjunction with entertainments in the Assembly Rooms and various public houses in the town. On a number of occasions, however, waterlogging forced race meetings to be moved to The Holmes, close to the centre of Derby on the south bank of the River Derwent. This, combined with the process of enclosure into fields of the previously open Moor, led by the end of the 18th century to the course being permanently moved to The Holmes, where a "handsome and commodious" grandstand was built. With the arrival and expansion of the railways in the area, this site eventually became impractical, and was last used in 1844.

The final Derby Racecourse, which featured a straight mile, opened in May 1848 on land off the Nottingham Road, east of Little Chester and west of Chaddesden. A grandstand designed by Henry Duesbury was built in 1852, and in 1856 the Midland Railway opened Nottingham Road station to serve the course. In 1863, the South Derbyshire Cricket Club also moved to the venue from The Holmes, and a cricket ground was constructed within the southern curve of the racecourse. The Racecourse Ground, as it was initially known, later became the County Cricket Ground after the Derbyshire County Cricket Club started playing there in 1871. The Racecourse Ground was also a football venue; it was the home of Derby County F.C. from 1884 until 1895, and hosted an FA Cup Final replay and an England international match as well.