Page 23 - Jigsaw November 2021

mile donkey race. The 1889 Amateur Athletic Sports, held on Monday 12th August, included pony and donkey races which were held under the auspices of the Jockey Club. The officials
for the pony and donkey races were Judge, Mr W Birch; Starter, Mr W Beal; Steward, Mr G Selby; Clerks of the Course, Messrs C Burton and W Sutcliffe. The front cover of the race card is shown. The events were opened at
shortly before.
Although I cannot be certain as to the precise
location of the field, it was somewhere behind the grandstand shown in this picture of the Thrapston Sports in 1906, forming a loop behind the arena for extended cycling races.
(I wrote about the Sports in my June 2016 “Glance”, this picture being included then). This
12.30pm by the Town Band playing an overture, running races commencing at 1.00pm. Cycling began at 2.15pm. At 5.00pm eight ponies were shown, at 5.30pm the Thrapston and District Derby over 11⁄2 miles was won by
Mr Parson’s “Prince”, followed by the Thrapston Stakes, again over 11⁄2 miles, won by “Flyer” owned by Mr Claridge. The meeting ended with a Donkey Race with four entries. The winner is unknown.
Thrapston nearly won the 1933 Derby at Epsom Racecourse
area is now the Nine Arches Estate. Finally, Thrapston nearly won the
1933 Derby at Epsom Racecourse. Thrapston was a horse owned by Lord Derby and led for much of the race until fading towards the finish, finally coming in fifth place to the winner, Hyperion. The horse was named after the town by Lady Derby, who grew up at Kimbolton Castle and knew the town well. Local bookmakers were
A GLANCE AT THE PAST
At the end of the meeting the Band played until dusk for dancing and the event ended with “a magnificent display of fireworks”. Trains to take the crowds home left from Midland Road Station for Kettering at 10.16pm, Huntingdon residents missing much of the evening as
their last train left at 7.31pm. The last train
to Northampton left Bridge Street Station at 10.15pm whilst the Peterborough train left
very pleased with a fifth place as many town residents had a flutter on Thrapston to win at odds of 28 to 1.
Details about Thrapston Racecourse can be found in “Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow, Volume 1 England North of Hatfield” by John Slusar.
My thanks, as usual, for all the positive comments about these articles. I can be contacted at ericfranklin2@hotmail.com
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