Newmarket, Suffolk

Newmarket
Town
A view of Newmarket showing horses galloping up part of the Long Hill training grounds
Newmarket
Location within Suffolk
Area14.65 km2 (5.66 sq mi)
Population16,772 (2021 Census)
 Density1,145/km2 (2,970/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTL645636
Civil parish
  • Newmarket
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townNEWMARKET
Postcode districtCB8
Dialling code01638
PoliceSuffolk
FireSuffolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

Newmarket is a market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, 14 miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 14 miles northeast of Cambridge. In 2021, it had a population of 16,772. It is a global centre for thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse training, breeding, and horse health. Two Classic races and three British Champions Series races are held at Newmarket every year. The town has had close royal connections since the time of James I, who built a palace there, and was also a base for Charles I, Charles II, and most monarchs since. Elizabeth II visited the town often to see her horses in training.

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. The town is home to over 3,500 racehorses, and it is estimated that one in every three local jobs is related to horse racing. Palace House, the National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art, the National Horseracing Museum, Tattersalls racehorse auctioneers, and two of the world's foremost equine hospitals for horse health, are in the town, which is surrounded by over sixty horse breeding studs. On account of its leading position in the multibillion-pound horse racing and breeding industry, it is also a major export centre.