(National Hunt)

Elizabeth, Empress of Austria

Although the first official National Hunt races at Towcester Racecourse date back to 1928, racing has taken place at the Easton Neston estate since 1876 when Elizabeth, the Empress of Austria stayed there. She loved hunting so a steeplechase meeting was held in her honour. The Empress was so delighted she planned a race meeting of her own for Easter Monday, 1876. In preparation, a course was laid out in Easton Neston park. The meeting was such a huge success, it was scheduled to become an annual event.

Easton Neston

The owner of Easton Neston, Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh, formed a committee to manage the fixture. In 1928, the first Lord Hesketh formed the Towcester Racecourse Company and established the racecourse under National Hunt Rules. A grandstand was built for the occasion and further improvements since included the addition of a greyhound track in 2014. 

Hard Times

In 2004 and again in 2008 Lord Hesketh attempted to sell Towcester Racecourse to no avail: it went into administration in 2018. In October 2019 Kevin Boothby, the greyhound racing promoter at Henlow Stadium in Bedfordshire, took on a 10-year lease for the course, reinstating greyhound racing and considering plans for horseracing to make a comeback in the form of point-to-point.

Important Races/Festivals

Greyhound racing currently takes place and further entertainment – with watersports, festivals, concerts and an open-air cinema – is in the pipeline.