Newmarket and surrounding area
Newmarket is in the county of Suffolk very close to its border with Cambridgeshire.
Newmarket is a wonderful place, it really is and has a heritage in horseracing which is second to none. Horseracing in Newmarket has been dated back to 1174. There are two courses, The Rowley Mile and The July Course. The July Course is used during June, July and August. There are 50+ training stables, housing well in excess of 3000 racehorses. About 1/3 of local jobs are horseracing related. If you are visiting Newmarket for any length of time and if you have a genuine interest in The Sport Of Kings, there are a number of places well worth visiting.
http://www.discovernewmarket.co.uk/
Newmarket Racecourse itself does host a number of live music events throughout the summer which follow on from that evenings race meeting.
There are lots of nice watering holes in the town also doing decent food. I particularly recommend The Rutland Arms Hotel. I can’t recommend any places to stay in the town as I’ve not stayed in any, but Trip Advisor and other websites are very good for covering that.
Getting Here
Newmarket is close to the University City of Cambridge (16 miles) and is within easy reach of London (about 65 miles). The roads around here in all directions are very good. The M11 is close by which will take you all the way to the outskirts of London. The A14 comes all the way over from the West Midlands. Avoid the town on the bigger meetings (unlike me) as traffic gets stupidly busy. Parking at the course is ample and free. Post Code is CB8 0XE
There are trains from Cambridge to Newmarket and if coming from further afield then Cambridge is the place to change. There is a complementary bus service which picks up in the town and at the railway station.
If you fancy the walk then good luck to you, its about 3-4 miles out of town.
I have included a link for disability access further down.
The Racecourse
The July Course is just over 2 miles in length with the right handed turn for home a mile out. The first mile or so is part of the Cesarewitch course, the home straight being The Bunbury Mile. All races up to a mile are run on the straight Bunbury Mile. This is undulating and rises from the furlong marker to the winning post. The ability to see out the trip thoroughly is paramount.
There doesn’t appear to be any draw bias on the July Course though many feel that the course favours those who lead or lie handy.
Clerk of the course: Michael Prosser
Racecourse telephone: 01638 663482
Racecourse facilities
Facilities on the course are from the top shelf. There’s lots of different type of food available behind the grandstand and it seems of a good quality. There are plenty of bars too and all very well organised. I didn’t sample today other than a gorgeous cup of coffee as had been well fed at guest house before leaving.
http://newmarket.thejockeyclub.co.uk/
Disabled access: http://newmarket.thejockeyclub.co.uk/plan-your-raceday/visitor-information/disabled-access
The racecourse encourage smart dress in the Premier enclosure. It’s all much more relaxed in the Grandstand and Paddock enclosure though you are a good 1/2f from the winning post.
There were sniffer dogs used at the entrances today. It obviously works, I saw dozens of people turned away and one or two detained!
My Day Today
I struggle with big crowds and will rarely visit such days, preferring to view on TV. But I have always liked coming to Newmarket and usually do well here from a betting perspective. Not today though, three bets yielded one short priced winner so made a small loss.
I have taken a serious interest in horse racing for many years and can never remember the July meeting as anything other than a graveyard for me anyway. So maybe a small loss is a good result all told. I’m sure there’s a better explanation though
It cost £32 to get into the Grandstand which compared to other sports isn’t so bad really, though racecourse entry is usually cheaper. Racecourses, Newmarket included, price up their entrance fees according to the days importance. A lesser day at Newmarket is quieter and a bit cheaper to get in.
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