Date opened 29 May 1849 Date closed June 1975 | Owned by Defunct Opened 29 May 1849 Course type National Hunt racing | |
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Notable races Wye Centenary Chase; Wye Sweepstake Similar Alexandra Park Racecourse, Hereford Racecourse, Thirsk Racecourse, Kelso Racecourse, Catterick Bridge Racecourse | ||
Wye Racecourse (29 May 1849 – June 1975) was a British horse racing venue, situated in East Kent between Ashford and Canterbury about 600 yards south of Wye railway station.
The first racing in Wye took place on 29 May 1849 at the Crown. Originally, racing took place over fences and on the flat, but in 1878 the course moved to Harville Farm and flat racing ceased. Steeplechases, however, continued to be held in September, January, March, and May.
The last racing took place at Wye on 2 May 1974 and the course closed permanently in June 1975. The Jockey Club had insisted upon changes to the course in August 1974, including changing the camber of the bottom turn and improving the grandstand. However, the owners were unable to fund these changes, leading to closure. Wye was a very small, oval track, less than 1 mile (1.6 km) round.
The land is now farmed, although some evidence of the racecourse can still be seen from satellite photographs.
