Sport of Kings

Newmarket Racecourse was founded in 1636, though the first recorded wager on a race was in 1622, for £100 between the Marques of Buckingham and Lord Salisbury.

The Rowley Mile Course at Newmarket is one of three courses at the headquarters of British horseracing. Both the Rowley Mile and the July Course are wide, galloping tracks used only for flat racing. The third course is the much smaller Round Course which is used just once a year for the historically important race, the Newmarket Town Plate. The July course was the only operational racecourse during the war – the Rowley Mile became RAF Newmarket’s landing strip.