Hamilton Park Racecourse
Encyclopedia
Hamilton Park Racecourse is a thoroughbred horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 venue in Hamilton
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 to the south of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

. It is a flat racing venue, with a season which runs from May to September.

Racing has been staged in Hamilton since 1782 and it is now part of Scotland’s great sporting heritage. More than two centuries worth of punters have visited the course wanting to place a bet or simply just enjoy a grand day out at the races.

Several landmark events in racing have occurred on Hamilton Park’s grounds. On 18 July 1947 it became the first course in Britain to stage an evening fixture while on 8 May 1971 the racecourse became the first to hold a morning meeting. These innovations would become commonplace for racecourses around the country.

The present racecourse opened in 1926 and since 1973 it has been owned by the Hamilton Park Trust which ploughs back all profits into developing the course.

Hamilton Park is noted for its reputation of mixing good quality racing with glamour and entertainment. Top jockeys like Frankie Dettori
Frankie Dettori
Lanfranco "Frankie" Dettori, MBE is an Italian horse racing jockey and celebrity. Dettori has been Champion Jockey on three occasions and has ridden the winners of more than 500 Group races.. He has had many successes in his role of stable jockey to Godolphin Racing...

 appearing at the racecourse and live music performances from the likes of Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor is an English singer, songwriter, model and occasional DJ. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s, as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo, achieving widespread success in the early 2000s...

, Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...

 and Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...

 have helped establish Hamilton Park as Scotland’s most high profile racecourse.

Continuing along this theme, the venue has recently announced it will stage a stand alone JLS
JLS
- Music :* JLS, an English boyband** JLS , debut album by JLS* JLS a Spanish Rock band based in Zaragoza , Spain formed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic by lead Leo Susana.- Organizations :...

 concert on 23 July 2010. This comes as the racecourse prepares for its most prestigious season ever, with live performances from The Saturdays
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...

 and The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...

 finalists Olly Murs
Olly Murs
Oliver Stanley "Olly" Murs is an English singer-songwriter and TV presenter. Murs rose to fame after being the runner-up on the sixth series of The X Factor...

, Stacey Solomon
Stacey Solomon
Stacey Solomon is a British singer, television presenter, model and reality TV star. She rose to fame during her time on the sixth series of The X Factor, coming third overall on the show...

 and Danyl Johnson scheduled to take place during specific theme nights incorporated into the racing fixtures.

Furthermore, the racecourse is proud to host The Hamilton Park Super Seven, the top seven race meetings of the year - combining excitement, glamour and speed, these are the most popular, most competitive races of the season.

The 2010 Super Seven fixtures are: Braveheart Night, Lanark Silver Bell Race Night, Cash for Kids Night (feat. The Saturdays), Family Night (feat. The X Factor finalists), Fair Friday, Ladies Night and Forces and Services Night.

Further information on the upcoming season including live entertainment, special guest appearances, race meetings and ticket sales is avaialble via:
http://www.hamilton-park.co.uk

Former Livingston FC chief executive Vivien Kyles replaced Alastair Warwick who moved onto Ascot in June 2008.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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