Sedgefield betting with William Hill

Sedgefield is south of the city of Durham and stages National Hunt racing for 10 months of the year.

The big Sedgefield betting race is the Durham National over 3m5f. 1979 Grand National winner Rubstic won the race for three successive seasons.

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Betting at Sedgefield – The Big Meetings

Sedgefield betting continues throughout the year except in June and July. The Durham National is now staged in late October or early November, having been moved from its previous slot in the spring.

Sedgefield also stages a Ladies’ Evening and a popular Boxing Day card.

Sedgefield Betting – The Big Races

The Durham National is the flagship race for Sedgefield and was first run in 1957, with victory going to Steel Chat.

It has become increasingly competitive in recent seasons under the sponsorship of a group known as the Sedgefielders, led by author Sean Magee. He was inspired by the fact that Sedgefield was the track which finally completed his ambition of visiting every racecourse in Britain.

Sedgefield Betting Tips

Brian Ellison and Donald McCain Jnr often feature among Sedgefield tips and are prolific winners over hurdles and fences.

Sue Smith also does well here and it’s worth noting any hurdles entries from the stable of Neil Mulholland for your Sedgefield bets. The Wiltshire-based trainer usually makes the journey pay for his runners here.

Brian Hughes and Danny Cook are the jockeys to follow for your Sedgefield betting. Henry Brooke also rides the course particularly well, as does Sean Bowen on his relatively rare visits.

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Sedgefield Course Characteristics

Sedgefield is a left-handed undulating track with a reputation for being one of the easiest jumping tracks in the country. There is a 3f home straight with an uphill finish, but it’s only a short run-in from the last.

The track favours fast, accurate jumpers when considering your Sedgefield tips.

Sedgefield can become quite testing in softer ground and jockeys often steer their mounts towards the stands’ side in search of better ground.

The track has produced a number of course specialists, notably Fatehalkhair who won 13 times here. He was beautifully bred out of Kris by 1,000 Guineas and Oaks winner Midway Lady. Brian Ellison trained him to win 20 of his 99 races between 1995 and 2004.

Famous Sedgefield Races and Racehorses

The first horse to win the Durham National twice was Lucky Domino for trainer George Waring in 1964 and 1965. Red Alligator won the Durham National in 1967 and went on to win the Aintree Grand National the following year.

Rubstic won the Durham National for three consecutive seasons between 1978 and 1980 for trainer John Leadbetter. He became the first Scottish-trained horse to win the Aintree Grand National in 1979 under Maurice Barnes.

In 1984, Valerie Alder became the first female rider to win the race aboard Bush Guide. She was able to fulfil her ambition of riding in the Grand National on the same horse, although they fell at the Canal Turn on the first circuit. Her father had finished ninth at Aintree in 1965 on Tant Pis.

In 2014 the Durham National was won by Royale Knight, trained by Dr Richard Newland and ridden by Will Kennedy. Royale Knight attempted to repeat his victory in 2015, but could finish only sixth behind Buachaill Alainn.

Newland was also successful with the strong Sedgefield tip Audacious Plan in 2017, who returned a well-backed 6/4 favourite.

Other good staying chasers to have won at Sedgefield over the years include Vieux Lion Rouge and The Young Master.

Vieux Lion Rouge won over hurdles for David Pipe here in February 2014. The gelding won the Becher Chase in 2016 and the Grand National Trial in 2017. Vieux Lion Rouge successfully jumped clear in four consecutive Grand Nationals, but never finished closer than sixth.

The Young Master also won here over hurdles in January 2014. He won the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown Park in 2016 and was runner-up in the same race three years later.

Other familiar names to have raced at Sedgefield include Vintage Clouds, Bless The Wings, Captain Redbeard and Highland Lodge.

Bless The Wings finished a moderate fourth in a 2m4f handicap chase at Sedgefield in 2014. He came within a short head of winning the Irish Grand National for Gordon Elliott and Ruby Walsh in 2016.

Vintage Clouds was a strong Sedgefield betting tip on his second career start in 2014 when beaten by Bedale Lane. The grey became a very useful staying chaser for Sue Smith, finishing third in the 2018 Scottish Grand National and second in the Ultima Handicap Chase at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival.

He was fancied for the 2019 Aintree Grand National but fell at the first fence.

Sedgefield Horse Racing History

Racing has taken place in the Sedgefield area since 1732, with the first recorded meetings held in 1846. The site was originally part of the Sands Hall Estate, home to the Ord family. The Boxing Day fixture was introduced in the 1920’s with the Racecourse Company formed in 1927.

The course has been thoroughly modernised since the late 1970’s when Frank Scotto was appointed Chairman. Improvements under his leadership include the Sedgefield Pavilion in 1991 and the Theakston Suite in 1995.

Scotto passed away in 1996, but improvements continued under the banner of Northern Racing, who purchased the course in 2001. Northern Racing merged with Arena Leisure to form the Arena Racing Company in 2012, who remain committed to making Sedgefield one of the most welcoming racecourses in the UK.

In 2014, a total of seven jockeys received 10-day suspensions for ignoring a yellow flag which had been waved in error at Sedgefield. The steward should have waved the chequered flag, a mistake which he corrected on the second circuit. The race was declared void and all Sedgefield bets on the race were refunded.

There was also confusion in the Durham National in 2018 when leader Red Giant missed out the second-last fence as it had been dolled off on the previous circuit.

Brian Boranha was left to win the race, with Red Giant’s rider being given a 12-day suspension for taking the wrong course.

Jockey Colm McCormack was the toast of one lucky punter when landing a winning Sedgefield bet on Fiddlers Flight in 2016.

A mistake at the final hurdle left McCormack without his feet in his irons, but he still managed to drive his horse ahead at the line. His dramatic recovery completed a £1 seven-horse accumulator which netted nearly £82,000.

Sedgefield Racecourse - How to get there

Sedgefield is just five minutes from Junction 60 off the A1M and is clearly signposted. The racecourse is just outside the village and within easy driving distance of Teesside, Darlington and Durham city centre.

Road travellers arriving from Middlesbrough and the east on the A19 should take the A177 for Sedgefield.

The closest railway stations to the course are Darlington and Durham. Both are around 20 minutes away from the track by taxi and there are regular bus services on race days.