2nd May 2005

Horse racing returns to L’Ancresse race course

Horse racing now takes place on L’Ancresse common most May Day bank holidays. That wasn’t always the case, though. It fell out of favour for 13 years between 1992 and 2005 after organisers had trouble finding runners to participate.

Guernsey Race Club sponsored a day of racing at the Les Landes course in Jersey in 2004 and, following a positive response, decided to investigate bringing the sport back to Guernsey. Work began almost right away on returning the course to the required standard. Labourers added top soil and re-seeded worn out patches, while the Guernsey Race Club applied to the Channel Islands Racing and Hunt Club for permission to host a fixture.

Successful race days

Since 2010, L’Ancresse Racecourse has been home to the Ravenscroft Channel Islands Handicap £5000. This is the largest horse-racing prize in the Channel Islands. The course itself is a one mile and one furlong-long circuit, run in a clockwise direction.