Hexham betting with William Hill

Hexham stages National Hunt racing at the most northerly racecourse in England at High Yarridge in Northumberland.

Hexham betting takes place in one of the most picturesque settings in the whole of the UK, with the surrounding hills forming a natural amphitheatre.

Check William Hill promotions for regular special offers, daily price boosts and the Hexham odds.

Betting at Hexham – the big meetings

Hexham stages regular jumps meetings from March through to December. These include summer jump meetings and evening meetings.

It hosts the first three-year-old hurdle of the season at the start of June. In 2018, the juvenile hurdle fell on the same day as the Epsom Derby, with victory going to Ben Haslam’s Lord Caprio.

The Heart of All England Chase takes place on Heart of All England Evening in early May and there is a popular Ladies Day in June. There is also a Christmas Raceday in mid-December.

Hexham betting – the big races

The Heart of All England Steeplechase was run for the first time in 1907 and is a maiden hunters’ chase over three miles and one furlong. It attracts horses that have shown promise in point-to-point racing and is regarded as the final of a series of races in the north.

There was an unusual postscript to the race in 2005 after sisters Tina Jackson on Bobby Buttons and Lynne Ward on Wilfie Wild both failed to complete the course. They were each re-united with their partners at the Zetland meeting at Witton Castle 24 hours later and won.

The most notable winner in the history of the Heart of All England Chase was Earls Brig in 1972. He finished third to Forgive n’ Forget in the 1985 Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was bred, owned and trained by Billy Hamilton at Bonchester Bridge near Hawick.

Hexham Betting Tips

Grand National winning Trainer Lucinda Russell (One For Arthur, 2017) has a very good record at Hexham and regularly features in Hexham bets.

Maurice Barnes, successful as a jockey in the Grand National on Rubstic in 1979, also trains his fair share of winners here. Micky Hammond is another trainer to note for your Hexham betting tips, particularly in hurdle races.

Jockeys Brian Hughes and Henry Brooke both ride the track extremely well. Dale Irving and Jamie Hamilton have both recorded a good strike rate at the Northumberland circuit in recent seasons.

Visit news.williamhill.com for all the top horse racing stories and the latest Hexham odds.

Hexham betting - course characteristics

Hexham is a left handed, undulating track of about a mile and a half. There is a steep climb on the approach to the final bend and a short run-in after jumping the last. There are 10 jumps on each circuit, although the fences are considered relatively easy.

One of the best Hexham tips is to take note of the ground conditions. The going at Hexham can become extremely testing and stamina really comes into play on the climb up to the final bend.

Hexham horse racing history

The first official meeting at the current site is recorded as 23rd April 1890, although there is evidence that racing took place in the Hexham area almost one hundred years earlier.

Charles Henderson was one of the main driving forces behind the 1890 meeting which attracted 31 runners. Henderson invested a substantial amount of his own money to get the course ready for opening.

Henderson is also credited with the copper beech hedge wings which are still a unique feature of Hexham’s obstacles. The racecourse was requisitioned by the War Department and used as an ammunition depot during the Second World War.

The Ramshaw Grandstand was opened in 1998 and the racecourse was purchased by Hexham and Northern Marts in 2016.

There was a Grand National link with Hexham in 2013 after 66/1 outsider Aurora’s Encore had won Liverpool’s feature race. He was ridden by Ryan Mania who suffered serious injuries when falling at Hexham just 24 hours later.

Mania had suddenly become a hot news story after his Aintree victory and spent two nights in hospital before being released to a homecoming party in Galashiels. He struggled with his weight before retiring from the saddle in 2014.

Famous Hexham Races and Racehorses

Jockey Chris Grant rode his first ever winner at Hexham aboard Trim Lawns. He spent 15 years with Denys Smith before being appointed stable jockey to leading northern trainer Arthur Stephenson.

Grant finished second to West Tip in the 1986 Grand National on Young Driver. He was also runner-up on Durham Edition in 1988 and 1990.

Grant was also second in the Gold Cup on Cybrandian behind The Thinker at a snowbound Cheltenham Festival in 1987. He enjoyed better luck in the 1991 Scottish National at Ayr when winning on Killone Abbey. Grant rode nearly 800 winners under rules.

Another jockey to get off the mark here was Campbell Gillies aboard Gunson Hight in 2007. The horse did not feature in many Hexham bets and started a 33-1 outsider. Gillies won the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham on Brindisi Breeze for Lucinda Russell in 2012.

Tragically, the promising young jockey drowned while holidaying in Corfu later that year.

Angrove Rumbaba did not attract much interest in the Hexham betting when he ran here in a National Hunt flat race the same year. However, the unusually-coloured racehorse certainly got plenty of attention from photographers.

The son of Ricco VII was officially a skewbald but failed to shine on the track and was retired after finishing last of three here on his third racecourse appearance.

Jockey Henry Brooke suffered serious injuries in a fall from Old Storm at Hexham in 2016. Racing was delayed for almost two hours while he received treatment before he could be safely airlifted to Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

It was very appropriate that his first winner back was at Hexham aboard Munsaab. There was also a moment of nostalgia at the same meeting when Lastbutnotleast carried the famous Red Rum colours to victory for Donald McCain.

The mare was a hot Hexham tip and started 13/8 favourite before winning easily by 12 lengths.

Buy Mistake was a big Hexham tip in August 2017, an unraced son of Soldier Of Fortune trained by Geoffrey Harker. He was backed down from 11/1 to start 11/8 favourite in a National Hunt flat race. He was driven out by jockey Lorcan Murtagh to beat Klare Castle by a length.

Hexham Racecourse - How to get there

The racecourse is two miles south of Hexham town centre and can easily be reached via the M6 at Carlisle or the A1M at Newcastle upon Tyne. Take the exit for the A69 and follow signs towards Hexham with the racecourse clearly sign posted. All parking at the track is free.

Hexham Railway Station is two miles from the racecourse on the Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle line. A free shuttle bus service to and from the course operates on all race days.