Chester Racecourse
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Chester Racecourse, known as the Roodee, is according to official records the oldest racecourse still in use in England. Horse racing at Chester dates back to the early sixteenth century.
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[edit] History
The 65 acre racecourse lies on the banks of the River Dee. The site was once a harbour during the Roman settlement of the city during the Dark Ages, but was closed as the river silted up thus making navigation impossible. Towards the centre of the in field is a raised mound which is decorated by a small cross known as a "rood". It is from this that the race course derives the name "Roodee"; Roodee is a corruption of "Rood Eye", meaning "The Island of the Cross".
According to legend the cross marks the burial site of a statue of the Virgin Mary sentenced to hang after causing the death of Lady Trawst, the wife of the Governor of Hawarden. The legend states that she had gone to church to pray for rain but when her prayers were answered by a tremendous thunderstorm the statue was loosened and fell, killing her. As a holy object, hanging or burning the statue would be sacrilege so the statue was left by the banks of the river and the tide carried it down to Chester.
In an alternate version of the legend, the statue was instead carried to St John's church. An ancient statue of the Virgin was recorded at the time of the reformation but may not be the same one. The statue was thrown down as a relic of popery, used as a whipping post for scholars and burned.
The site was formerly the home of the original Chester Midsummer Watch Parade, temporarily banned by Oliver Cromwell but finally abolished in 1677
The east of the race course leads straight onto Chester's city walls which were once used to moor Roman trading vessels, and the Grosvenor bridge which was once the longest single arch bridge in the world, passes over the south-eastern corner. The north of the course is bordered by a long bridge carrying the North Wales Coast Line.
[edit] Horse Racing
Races originally took place on Goteddsday (Shrove Tuesday) and St George's Day, both major festivals during the medieval period, however, beforehand the site was home to the famous and bloody Goteddsday football match. The game was however very violent and, in 1533, banned by the city, to be replaced in 1539 by horse racing. Victors were awarded the "Chester Bells", a set of decorative bells for decorating the horse's bridle, and later the "Grosvenor Gold Cup", a small tumbler made from solid gold (later silver). However, the racecourse was at that point still just an open field, with the first grandstand built in 1817 and the first admittance-fee not being taken until 1897.
The old stand was destroyed by fire in 1900 and replaced by a wooden stand that was totally destroyed by a second fire set by an arsonist in 1985.
[edit] Today
The racecourse is unique in that it is the only racecourse in the UK that lies within a city. This makes race meetings at Chester very popular as it is only a very short stroll to all the hotels, bars, shopping and restaurants. A great free view of the course can be had from the old Roman wall that circumnavigates Chester. The racecourse itself is just over 1 mile long, flat and raced anti-clockwise or left-handed. The main characteristic of the course is the very short run-in (239 yards). As such, long-strided horses, which perform better on straights, are at a distinct disadvantage.
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