Ralph Bullock (jockey) 1861 Derby, which he won on Kettledrum for owner Charles Townley. The Epsom course itself had been badly neglected and was strewn with rubbish on the day of the race. In the event, Kettledrum was a luck winner. The favourite, Dundee, ridden by Henry Custance looked like he would win easily at Tattenham Corner, but eighty yards from the winning post, the horse broke down badly on both forelegs and Kettledrum won by a neck. Bullock would also finish second in the Oaks on Lady Ripon. Riding Kettledrum in the Doncaster Cup later that year, he scored a memorable dead
Oswestry Race Course enabled both horses and racegoers to travel further afield to the larger racecourses. The final meeting was held in September 1848, the same year that the Shrewsbury to Chester railway line opened. Today, significant evidence of the old racecourse remains, including the remains of the figure-of-eight course and grandstand. Due to its elevation, there are extensive views of the surrounding countryside from the site. It has a variety of different habitats including, scrub, woodland, heathland, ponds, wildflowers and unimproved, and marshy grasslands. This supports a wide assortment of birds and insects, including willow warbler, chiffchaff and linnets. Oswestry Race Course