York's Hidden History: story of horseracing at Knavesmire
MY friend Tony Simmonds regularly walks Ralph, his English Springer Spaniel around Knavesmire. Another friend, Konrad Schnyder, used to enjoy jogging there at 5.30am every morning whenever he came to York.
This low-lying area south-west of York, consisting of some 254 acres, has been the venue for many varied events from car-boot sales to Gay Pride festivals and even a visit by a Pope in May 1982. But it’s best-known as the site of the York Racecourse.
John Stevens in his book Knavesmire – York’s Great Racecourse and Its Stories recounts in detail the history of racing in the city.
It's thought that horse-racing first came to York with the Romans. By the beginning of the 18th century, horse-racing had migrated from Acomb Moor to Clifton Ings alongside the River Ouse, and by July 1712 the Queen’s Royal Plate of 100 Guineas was being run at York for six-year-olds carrying 12 stone over four miles.
The big drawback of Clifton Ings was that it was liable to frequent flooding, so in 1730, racing was moved to the Knavesmire, common land which had been levelled and drained to form a horseshoe-shaped course. The first race meeting was held there in 1731.
In those early days, racegoers had to be content with viewing the races from their carriages which were timed to arrive after a hanging at the adjacent York Tyburn! One celebrated winner was Match ‘Em, an outstanding five-year-old who won the Great Subscription Race of 1753 just hours after William Smith had been hanged nearby for murder.
A major figure in 18th-century York was Charles Watson Wentworth, the Marquis of Rockingham, who used his influence to dominate the racing scene in the city. He was determined to improve the amenities at Knavesmire and commissioned his architect friend John Carr to construct the first grandstand in 1754. And in 1770, the first racing club in the world was formed, the Gimcrack Club, which held its annual dinners at the Punch Bowl tavern in Stonegate.
The club was named after a celebrated racehorse Gimcrack, who was able to boast an impressive racing performance of winning 27 of its 35 races over a period of 11 years, even though the horse itself never won a race at the Knavesmire.
Archive photo of the Gimcrack Stand at York. Image supplied
In the early years of the 19th century, racing at York had touched a low point, but thanks to the race judge, John Orton, things started to look up when he was appointed Clerk of the Course in 1842. Jane Richardson, in her History of York Horse-racing in Chapters, notes that in 1842, the York Race Committee was formed, and the first Great Ebor Handicap was held, still known today as simply the Ebor.
Sweeping changes were subsequently made to the racecourse. The wooden buildings were replaced by brick constructions and the horse-shoe shaped track became circular. (The racetrack was to revert to an open shepherd’s crook shape for much of the 20th century, before returning to include a circuit when the North bend was opened in 2004). The Great Ebor race was modified to 1 ¾ miles, and a five-furlong sprint course appeared. By 1846, the Committee had introduced the Gimcrack Stakes, first won by a Yorkshire bay filly, Ellerdale.
The Popemobile at the Knavesmire in 1982. Picture: Explore York Libraries and Archives
Perhaps the most famous race of the 19th century was in 1851. Two famous horses Voltigeur and The Flying Dutchman, who had raced together in the Doncaster Gold Cup, raced together again at York. The Dutchman won the race; Voltigeur won one more victory in The Flying Dutchman’s Handicap but died soon afterwards. In 1950 The Voltigeur Stakes were introduced, later becoming The Great Voltigeur Stakes.
Up to the year 1907, the York racecourse had been leased annually from the York Corporation. In that year, however, the racecourse was granted a 35-year lease and with that came a large-scale development, spearheaded by James Melrose and prominent Yorkshire architect Walter Brierley. The subsequent decades witnessed further building construction with a five-tier stand opened in 1965.
The 1965 Stand at York Racecourse. Image supplied
The new millennium made York Races an even greater success story. Notable events have been the staging of The Royal Ascot at York in 2005 and more recently, the £1.25m Juddmonte International was recognised as the Best Race in the World in 2024.
York races have had their share of eccentrics. In the 19th century, racegoer the 5th Earl of Glasgow was well-known for his foul temper. He once threw a waiter through a ground-floor window of The Black Swan Inn in Coney Street, a popular place to stay with racegoers.
My friend Sheila Dickson told me about another eccentric who frequented York Races in the 1950s: Ras Prince Monolulu. He was well-known throughout the country’s racetracks as a colourful tipster. Flamboyantly attired with a feathered head-dress, he sold his tips in sealed envelopes and walked about the course proclaiming “I’ve gotta horse” which was to become the title of his autobiography.
Times have certainly changed for the world-famous Knavesmire course, and James Brennan, head of marketing and sponsorship at the York Racecourse, told me that nowadays the Knavesmire welcomes between 250,000 to 300,000 spectators to its 18 race days from May to October. A Sunday race meeting was added in 2000; evening racing in 2006, and several meetings have been reconfigured including the Ebor which is now a four-day festival.
David Wilson is a community writer with The Press.
