Britain’s history is long and rich with horse racing events and tournaments, some dating back even to the publishing of the General Stud Book in the 1700s. One of the oldest racecourses in the UK is still fully functional and operational today.
It still is extremely popular today, some tournaments are still running today, and the general population has the chance to enjoy them in their full glory. At the same time, betting on horse racing is even more popular than it used to be back in the day when it was limited to the English nobility who made wagers among themselves.
People in the UK can now even use different bonuses like this promo code from Skybet bookie, to get welcome bonuses and enhance their gambling and betting experience. If you are new to horse race betting, this is a great way to get up and running.
Horse Racing In The Modern Day
Nowadays, most horse racing tracks are located on the mainland, and there are few remaining races on the islands and the Island of Wight. Some racecourses can still be found in Northern Ireland as well, but not every citizen of the UK has easy access to live horse racing.
Watching on TV, or an Internet Stream is always an option, but it’s far from the same experience. Nothing beats watching horse racing live. If you are a constant punter, you will also know that some bookmakers allow you to watch the races straight from their website.
Unfortunately, the Isle of Wight used to have a great deal of horse racing events in the past, a past that seems far away now. It still does hold some races and tournaments, but it’s far from what it used to be back in the day.
Horse Racing In The Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight used to have its horse racetrack which was heavily used for horse racing. However, the venue was shut down, but it’s still very easy to physically locate. The racetrack is located in Ashey, and it was built in the fields near the road at Ashey Manor and East Ashey Lane.
The distance of the race circuit was over a mile long, and the races used to run over one and two miles respectively. In the past, all of the races were conducted under the National Hunt rules which included fences in the race.
It was a racetrack with a very long history, as it opened up in 1812, where meetings took place for even a century. There’s some serious history involved with the racetrack, and, unfortunately, such a long-standing tradition was brought to a halt.
There was more than one track in the past, and competing groups all tried to run races at their racetracks, however, for convenience, it was later decided that Ashey was the best place for all racers to converge and hold competitions.
On the 9th of June 1930, the last meeting was held and the racetrack was turned into farmlands after that.
Return To Glory
Fortunately, even though nothing of the scale exists as back in the day, the Isle of Wight has slowly managed to return some of its former horse racing glory. Ever since 2005, amateur races have been taking place on the island of Wight.
Horse racing fans come together to Ashey to show their appreciation for horse racing, their love for the sport and the long-standing Isle of Wight tradition, which luckily wasn’t lost with time. It’s nothing grand compared to long ago, but it still breathes new life into the island.
Two competitions take place each year. The Isle of Wight Grand National race and the Ashey Scurry tournament is held once a year accordingly. Both competitions take place in March, and there are a total of three different circuits on the farmland fields.
The races are left-handed, and each race is two laps long. Sometimes there are weather-related troubles which sometimes impair the races. This is a problem related to all horse racetracks, but the locals and fans of horse racing do their best each year, to make sure that everything goes according to plan.
