History & Awards

The very first race in Hamilton was in 1782 at a site in Chatelherault, situated just outside the town. In 1785, the course has 3 racing fixtures and staged jump racing until 1907 when the course closed.

In 1926, racing moved to our current location on Bothwell Road having raised £100,000 to revive racing. The racecourse opened with a two-day meeting on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 July 1926 with 30,000 racegoers attending on the Friday which was greatly exceeded on the Saturday.

The revival of racing at Hamilton Park made it one of the newest courses in the country and became the second course in Lanarkshire – with Lanark Racecourse later closing in 1977.

Hamilton Park was the first racecourse in the country to stage an evening meeting in 1947, something that is now common place throughout the industry.

A Trust was formed in 1973 to secure racing at Hamilton Park at all time.