Uttoxeter Racecourse
Uttoxeter is a National Hunt course located in Staffordshire and is home to the Midlands Grand National. It is only 16 miles from Stoke-on-Trent and Derby with frequent public transport on race days. For those travelling south by car, leave the M1 at junction 24a and follow signs for Uttoxeter on the A50. For those travelling north, leave the M1 at junction 23a onto the A50. The Railway Station is adjacent to the racecourse. There is a direct service from Crewe and connecting trains from Derby and Stoke-on-Trent.
Uttoxeter Tips
Uttoxeter is a left handed track of just over a mile and a quarter. There is a climb on the far side of the track before descending into the downhill run into the home straight. There is a four furlong home stretch and few excuses for beaten horses. The course is thought to favour front-runners on good ground but can become a gruelling test of stamina when the going rides soft or heavy. This is a factor well worth considering for your Uttoxeter tips today, and particularly for the Midlands Grand National.
Uttoxeter Horse Racing History
The racecourse opened in 1907 as a successor to the defunct Keele Park Racecourse. There were five days of racing here in the first season with two in the spring and three in winter. There was no racing for the duration of both world wars but Uttoxeter continued to tick over with a few well-attended meetings.
The course was threatened with closure after the Second World War but resumed in April 1952. The meeting attracted a crowd of 12,000 spectators and the Uttoxeter Urban Council decided to buy the site to ensure the future of the racecourse. Uttoxeter received an investment of £167,000 from the Horserace Betting Levy Board in 1966 to upgrade and modernise facilities.
Mrs Olive Davis is credited with being the driving force behind the improvements, a local bookmaker and subsequent Chairman of Uttoxeter council. She worked tirelessly to champion the course as a site for events and was also a pioneer for achieving recognition for lady jockeys in the sport.
The Midlands Grand National
Uttoxeter stages 25 National Hunt racing throughout the year. The Midlands Grand National traditionally follows the Cheltenham Festival meeting in March. There are always plenty of Uttoxeter racing tips for this very competitive fixture. It is one of four Saturday meetings from January through to April.
The Summer Cup takes place on a Sunday in late June/early July. Other popular race days include Ladies Night in June and Family Fun Day in late July.
Uttoxeter Races
The biggest race staged at Uttoxeter is the Listed Midlands Grand National over an extended four miles. It is open to five-year-olds and upwards and attracts top staying chasers from Britain and Ireland.
Uttoxeter also holds the Listed Summer Cup Chase over three and a quarter miles. This replaced a race previously known as The Summer National in 2012 and carries prize money of £75,000. The Summer Cup was won by Virgilio for Dan and Harry Skelton in 2018, defeating former Bet365 Chase winner Henllan Harri.
Famous Races and Racehorses at Uttoxeter
On 15th June 1967, champion jockey Josh Gifford rode his 121st winner of the season aboard Jolly Signal at Uttoxeter. It brought him level with Fred Winter for the record number of winners in a single season. He did not have to wait long to claim the record outright, winning on Red Flush in the very next race.
Another rider to make history here was John Francome, recording his 800th career victory on Buckmaster in 1982. That brought him level with the injured Peter Scudamore on 120 winners in the jockeys’ championship. In an act of great sportsmanship, Francome immediately “retired” for the season to share the title with his weighing-room colleague.
The most significant riding achievement in Uttoxeter’s history belongs to Tony McCoy. He became the winning-most jumps jockey in the history of the sport when winning on Mighty Montefalco here in 2002. The odds-on favourite and his jockey were warmly greeted by the crowd after featuring among many Uttoxeter tips. It was his 1,700th win under National Hunt rules but even that pales into significance compared to his final career tally of 4,358 winners.
In 1988 the racecourse was purchased by Sir Stan Clarke for Northern Racing, funding the creation of two new grandstands and a new paddock development. His investment was rewarded when his own horse, Lord Gyllene, won the Aintree Grand National. He had finished runner-up to Seven Towers in the Midlands National on his previous start. The New Zealand bred horse won the National which had to be re-arranged for Monday following the bomb scare and course evacuation on the previous Saturday.
In 1976 the Midlands Grand National was won by Rag Trade. He would go on to win the Aintree Grand National for trainer Fred Rimell and jockey John Burke. The race has also been won by two subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winners in The Thinker (1986) and Synchronised (2010). The Thinker famously won the Gold Cup following a snow storm in 1987.
Synchronised also won the Welsh National and the Lexus Chase prior to landing the 2012 Gold Cup. There was considerable debate as to whether he should be allowed to run under top weight in the Grand National. He was given the go-ahead but the race ended in tragedy when he was put down after injuring himself in a freak accident.
Other notable winners of the Midlands Grand National include Bonanza Boy (1991), Young Kenny (1999) and Goonyella (2015). Bonanza Boy represented fifteen times champion trainer Martin Pipe. His son, David, won the race in four successive seasons between 2011 and 2014. Whatever David runs in this race is worth a second glance when assessing your Uttoxeter races tips.
Uttoxeter Betting Tips
Trainer Dan Skelton stands out among the best horse racing tips for Uttoxeter today. He has posted a strike rate of 28% over fences and 36% over hurdles with his runners over the past three seasons. A level stake on his hurdlers would have produced a profit approaching 60% over that period. Other trainers to note in chases at Uttoxeter include Charlie Longsdon, Fergal O’Brien and Katy Price.
Dr Richard Newland does well with his hurdlers at this venue. The stables of Sue Smith and Philip Hobbs maintain a decent strike rate in the same sphere. Another to rank highly in our Uttoxeter betting tips is trainer Warren Greatrex in bumper races. He has produced eight winners and four placed horses from just fourteen runners in these races.
Aidan Coleman and Harry Skelton are the most prolific winning riders at Uttoxeter. Skelton has a strike rate of 47% over hurdles with a level stakes profit of well over 100%. Benjamin Poste is a jockey to watch out for over fences.