The Racecourse in the Early 1700s. Credit: FX / Hulu
Welcome to Wrexham has brilliantly explained why the STōK Cae Ras is known as The Racecourse, using the stadium’s unique history to tell the story of one of the biggest moments in the club’s recent journey.
The latest video released by WrexhamFX to promote Welcome to Wrexham takes supporters back more than 300 years before drawing a clever parallel between horse racing and Wrexham’s pursuit of promotion.
It is the kind of detail many long-time supporters will already know, but one that newer fans introduced through the documentary may never have heard before.
Why Wrexham’s home is called The Racecourse
The video opens with a simple explanation.
“There’s a reason they call it the Cae Ras, or the Racecourse.”
It then takes viewers back to the origins of the famous ground.
“In the early 1700s, the first horse race was run on this ground.”
The narrator explains that the prize for that first race was the Town Purse, worth £60.
“It was Lord Stamford’s horse, Belinda, that won it.”
For generations afterwards, horse racing remained at the heart of the site.
“Then, for over 150 years, people packed in, to bet on long shots, to see who had the legs to finish.”
Although football eventually became the venue’s defining sport, the name remained. Wrexham have called the ground home since 1864 and today it is recognised as the world’s oldest international football stadium still hosting international matches.
Welcome to Wrexham found the perfect metaphor
Rather than simply ending the history lesson there, the video pivots perfectly into the modern era.
“The horses are long gone, but the spirit of the final stretch has never left.”
As those words are spoken, the footage changes from the Racecourse’s past to some of Wrexham’s biggest moments, reinforcing that while the sport has changed, the feeling of chasing the finish line has not.
The narrator then sets the scene.
“And now, here we are.”
What follows captures the tension surrounding the closing weeks of the campaign.
“In the final stretch of the season, vying for a single playoff spot against two threatening teams.”
The challenge is then reduced to a series of short, memorable lines.
“Four points out of the top six, four games to go.”
“Four massive games, four wins, hopefully.”
Finally comes the line that many supporters will remember from that run-in.
“But if not, hopefully Hull can slip up.”
The phrase is repeated three times, emphasising just how narrow the margins had become.
The beauty of the video is that it never loses sight of its original message. On the surface it explains why Wrexham’s stadium is called The Racecourse. In reality, it shows that the same competitive spirit which first brought crowds to the Cae Ras centuries ago still defines the ground today. The horses may be gone, but the race itself has never really ended.
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