Newmarket is a market town in the county of Suffolk, approximately 65 miles (105 kilometres) north of London. It is generally considered the birthplace and global centre of thoroughbred horse racing. It is a major local business cluster, with annual investment rivalling that of the Cambridge Science Park, the other major cluster in the region. It is the largest racehorse training centre in Britain, the largest racehorse breeding centre in the country, and home to most major British horseracing institutions, and a key global centre for horse health. Two Classic races, and an additional three British Champions Series races are held at Newmarket every year. Racing at Newmarket has been dated as far back as 1174, making it the earliest known racing venue of post-classical times. King James I (reigned 1603–1625) greatly increased the popularity of horse racing there, and King Charles I followed this by inaugurating the first cup race in 1634. The Jockey Club‘s clubhouse is in Newmarket, though its administration is based in London.
Newmarket has over fifty horse training stables, two large racetracks, The Rowley Mile and The July Course and one of the most extensive and prestigious horse training grounds in the world. It is estimated that one in every three local jobs is related to horse racing. Around 3,000 race horses inhabit Newmarket. The town is home to Tattersalls, the racehorse auctioneers. The town is surrounded by over sixty horse breeding studs. On account of its leading position in the multi-billion pound horse racing and breeding industry, it is also a major export centre.
The town is home to two of the most advanced equine hospitals in the world, and served by a large staff of vets and equine specialists. Newmarket is home to Britain’s National Horseracing Museum, and the new Home of Horseracing project, a major new development which will greatly extend the collection, and offer a major new centre for the town’s visitors. The Save Historic Newmarket group, an organisation dedicated to maintaining the town’s unique heritage as the world headquarters of racing, has become increasingly vocal in recent years. The group, composed of local residents, supports sustainable development in the town and aims to make Newmarket a more attractive destination for visitors.
Newmarket’s key role in sport for many centuries has made it a centre for many of Britain’s finest sporting painters. The development of painting on sporting themes in the early eighteenth century was centred on the Newmarket Racecourse and the three founders of the sporting school, John Wootton, James Seymour and Peter Tillemans, painted many scenes of the racecourse and its environs. Newmarket is also the setting for some of Sir Alfred Munnings‘s most famous paintings.
