About Newmarket

Newmarket is a market town in the English county of Suffolk, approximately 65 miles (105 kilometres) north of London, which has grown and become famous because of its connection with race horses and racing.

Statistics Population: 14,995 (2001 Census) Administration District: Forest Heath County: Suffolk Region: East of England Nation: England Other Police force: Suffolk Constabulary Ceremonial county: Suffolk Historic county: Suffolk Post office and telephone Post town: NEWMARKET Postal district: CB8 National Dialling code: 01638 International Dialling code: +44 1638 Politics UK Parliament: West Suffolk European Parliament: East of England

Newmarket - The Headquarters of British Horse Racing, also known as the Hollywood of Horseracing, racing at Newmarket has been dated as far back as 1174, making it the earliest known racing venue of post-classical times. King James I was the first to discover that the flat land in the area was ideal for galloping horses, and the tradition was carried on by many following English Monarchs.

It was Charles II, the "Merry Monarch" who made Newmarket truly fashionable. He used to move his court there from London for the big race meetings, so that at times the town was capital of England in all but name. The first recorded race at Newmarket took place in 1622, when a horse belonging to Lord Salisbury beat one of the Marquess of Buckingham's for a stake of £100, then an enormous sum, but there were horses there long before that, for Queen Boudicca's Iceni tribe used the Heath to tune up their war chariots before battles with the Roman invaders who built the road that runs through the town and on into East Anglia. King James I (reigned 1603 - 1625) greatly increased the popularity of horse racing there, and King Charles I followed this by inaugurating the first cup race in 1634.

Newmarket's Royal history is apparent at every turn. Near the end of the High Street the Rutland Arms Hotel stands on the site of King Charles' old palace, and just down the road are his stables, and the house of his mistress Nell Gwynn.

The town has two race courses situated on Newmarket Heath, these are the Rowley Mile and the July Course. The two courses are separated by the Devil's Dyke. This large earthwork starts in neighbouring Woodditton (sometimes spelt as Wood Ditton) and ends in Reach, a distance of over 8 miles. The Rowley Mile Racecourse was named after the King, whose nickname was that of his favourite horse, Old Rowley.

The first public trainer in Newmarket, Tregonwell, Frampton, had Queen Anne among his owners. The present Queen, who maintains her family's tradition of breeding racehorses at the Royal Stud in Norfolk, is a frequent visitor to the town, and her daughter The Princess Royal, had one of her finest victories as a jockey on the Newmarket-trained horse Ten No Trumps in the big Ladies' Race at Ascot in July.

King Charles used to enjoy watching his horses being exercised on Warren Hill. Three centuries later champions are still being trained on the timeless turf, but much else has changed, and for the better.

Newmarket may be steeped in history, but it is now a centre of excellence where heritage and technology lie easily together. Today in Newmarket there are 2,500 acres of heath and woodland devoted to racing and training horses, including 40 miles of turf gallops, 17 miles of artificial gallops and 30 miles of traffic-free walking tracks. The other facilities include a public equine swimming pool, two top class veterinary practices and a state-of-the-art research centre. In 1967 Queen Elizabeth II opened the National Stud, a breeding centre for Thoroughbred horses.

Europe's biggest horse auction house, Tattersalls (founded in 1776), is based in Newmarket, bringing a wonderful cosmopolitan atmosphere to the town in the Autumn, when buyers from all over the world come to bid.
A century ago the auctioneers used to sell horses in the High Street, outside the Jockey Club Rooms, but now business is conducted in a handsome domed arena, where bids are translated into yen, dollars and francs on the flickering number-board.

Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin team walking to the gallops.

The town has special horse routes so the horses can reach the gallops safely and many training establishments occupied by top trainers. More than two thousand race horses inhabit Newmarket. By comparison, the human population is of the order of 15,000 and it is estimated that one in four jobs are connected to horseracing in one way or another.

'The gallops'  is a hill overlooking the town and used as a training run to improve the horses' workload when training. This and the surrounding heath is chalk downland and has special birds and animals only suited to this terrain. It is also a very historical area with the remains of 6th century living to be found. This hill is part of the chalk formation the Newmarket Ridge.

Most of the Newmarket-based racing stables are situated in the centre of the town, where they can easily access the gallops. Outside the town the land-use is dominated by thoroughbred breeding, studs occupying large areas in every direction. Dalham Hall Stud (the headquarters of Darley), Cheveley Park Stud and Banstead Manor Stud (Headquarters of Juddmonte Farms) are well-known examples all which can be found in the village of Cheveley, three miles from Newmarket.

The area of Suffolk containing Newmarket is nearly detached, with only a narrow strip of territory linking it to the rest of the county. Traditionally the town was split with one parish in Suffolk and another in Cambridgeshire.