Earliest meeting: Monday 2nd August 1762
Final meeting: Wednesday 28th January 1880
Ballymoney is a small town in County Antrim located between Coleraine and Ballymena. It can trace its first races to 1762 when a 4 day meeting was held from Monday 2nd to Thursday 4th August. Races were held intermittently after this inaugural meeting on a range of courses within the vicinity of the town. In the middle of the 19th century the Magennis Cup was introduced and was won for 3 consecutive years from 1843 to 1845 by Redwood, owned by Mr J McGildowney. In the 1860s the races became known as the Route Hunt races. The final record of a meeting was on Wednesday 28th January 1880 on fields owned by Mr R M Douglas, although the racing by this stage had become mediocre. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 4 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Lord Mount Eagle, Captain O’Brien |
| Principal Races |
Ballymoney Stakes, Magennis Cup |
Monday 2nd to Thursday 5th August 1762 |
Ballymoney Stakes for Irish Bred horses over 3 miles
1. Executioner owned by Mr Lill
2. Nesgull owned by Mr Stuard
3. Unnamed mare owned by Mr Hutchinson
Ballymoney 4 Year Old Stakes
1. Dove owned by Lord Mount Eagle
2. Unnamed filly owned by Mr O’Neill
3. Lovely Sally owned by Mr Bennyson
Ballymoney Weight for Age Match over 4 miles
1. Strongbow owned by Lord Mount Eagle
2. Bellair owned by Mr O’Neill |
| The final meeting took place on Wednesday 28th January 1880. |
| Course today |
A range of courses in the vicinity of the town, latterly on fields owned by Mr R M Douglas. |
| If you have photos, postcards, racecards. badges, newspaper cuttings or book references about the old course, or can provide a photo of how the ground on which the old racecourse stood looks today, then email johnwslusar@gmail.com |
Much of the information about this course has been found using internet research and is in the public domain. However, useful research sources have been:-
London Illustrated News
Racing Illustrated 1895-1899
The Sporting & Dramatic Illustrated
Northern Turf History Volumes 1-4 by J.Fairfax-Blakeborough
The Sporting Magazine
A Long Time Gone by Chris Pitt first published in 1996 ISBN 0 900599 89 8
Racing Calendars which were first published in 1727 |
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ISBN 978-0-9957632-0-3
652 pages
774 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-1-0
352 pages
400 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-2-7
180 pages
140 former courses |
ISBN 978-0-9957632-3-4
264 pages
235 former courses |
| Copies of the above books are only available by emailing johnwslusar@gmail.com stating your requirements, method of payment (cheque payable to W.Slusar) or Bank transfer, and the address where the book(s) should be sent. |
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