Newcastle Upon Tyne

Newcastle Upon Tyne is a city in the North East of England and is the most populated town/city in this area and one of the most populated in the UK. Newcastle can trace it’s history all the way back to Roman times and this area was the site of battles between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and later a rebellion against Norman rule and in many conflicts between The English and The Scots. Newcastle had a prominent role during the Industrial Revolution and is noted particularly for coal mining and shipbuilding. People from this area ae known as ‘Geordies’

Horseracing isn’t the only sport here. Newcastle Utd FC have a long and proud tradition and many household names have played here. The town also has a rich history in contemporary music.

If you have time, there are a number of places in the area recommended:

Victoria Tunnel – https://www.ouseburntrust.org.uk/visit-vt

Jesmond Dene Park – http://www.jesmonddene.org.uk/

The Guildhall – https://co-curate.ncl.ac.uk/guildhall/

St Nicholas Cathedral – http://stnicholascathedral.co.uk/

There is much more besides, including The Quayside, St James Park and lots of different walking tours.

The Racecourse

Newcastle Racecourse hosts Flat Racing on an All-Weather surface and National Hunt Racing on turf.

The surface used for flat racing is Tapeta and the course can be floodlit.

The jumps course is a left-handed galloping circuit of one mile and 6 furlongs, with steady uphill finish from the home turn. The going here can be very testing and together with the stiff nature of the course and an emphasis on ‘jumping’, this course has an above average proportion of fallers in chases.

The flat course is also a left-handed galloping circuit of one mile and 6 furlongs and is oval with easy bends. There is an uphill run-in of half a mile which places an emphasis on stamina. There is also a one mile 1m straight course.

Clerk of the course: James Armstrong

Course telephone number: 01912 362020

Getting Here

Newcastle is 285 miles from Central London, 205 miles from Birmingham, 295 miles from Bristol, 315 miles from Cardiff, 145 miles from Manchester and 120 miles from Edinburgh.

The racecourse is situated just off the A1 about 4 miles north of the city on the A6125 at Gosforth Park.

The course post code is NE3 5HP.

Course parking is free.

The nearest railway station is Newcastle, about 4 miles away or Regent Centre Metro, about 2 miles away. There is a free shuttle bus service too and from Regent Centre Metro for weekend meetings.

Racecourse facilities

Course website: https://www.newcastle-racecourse.co.uk/

Disabled access: https://www.newcastle-racecourse.co.uk/plan-your-visit/accessibility/

There are two enclosures here, The Premier Enclosure and The Grandstand Enclosure though at some meetings these are combined into one. The dress code for The Premier Enclosure and for all hospitality areas is smart casual.

There is an abundance of bars and food outlets available in both enclosures though not all are open on quitter meetings. The course operate a restaurant package in Brandling House on all race days.

There is plenty of grandstand space in both enclosures and the view across the course is ok though it’s obviously difficult to see all the way down the straight mile.

My Day

Not sure why but I thought there would be a lot more people here tonight, especially on a Friday night in a big city. It just lacked a bit of atmosphere for me but it’s a nice enough set up here.
My first interest tonight was in the Mark Johnston trained Arms Of The Angel who was running in the second race, a 2yo Novice Stakes. She had run well enough on her debut at this track, getting the hang of it all in the latter part of the race and staying on well to nick third on the line. Not so well on the turf at Brighton next time though to be fair was carried left by another rival and having started slowly. One market rival was the Keith Dalgleish trained Lexington Palm who was making his AW debut but had won well enough at Catterick last time. Both the Ollie Pears trained Queen Of The Scheme (won a seller last time) and Heather Main trained Island Glen (showed nothing on Newbury debut) attracted support and competed for second favouritism and it was eventually the latter that went on to win with my selection back in fifth, never really getting in a serious blow.

The fourth race was a fillies handicap over 6 furlongs and I readily took an interest in the William Haggas trained Island Of Life. Her last run at Kempton Park in particular was full of promise when after rearing at the start she began her effort a furlong out finishing fast into fifth. This race was no better and she was well worth a little bet. I was a little scared of the Rachel Richardson ridden Twilight who had won it’s last couple and seemed to be improving but needed to be to take a hand in this one. As the race unfolded, I had no need to be scared. Island Of Life travelled well into the race and when the time came to go and win the race, he did so readily enough.

So a small profit earned at both meetings today which I can now take to Doncaster tomorrow