Earliest meeting: Monday 2nd August 1742
Final meeting: Wednesday 29th July 1752
The County Westmeath townland of Bellair, located between Dalystown and Templeoran, once held a sequence of race meetings in the middle of the 18th century. The first days racing took place on Monday 2nd August 1742, and the meeting stretched into Thursday 5th August 1742 and was deemed to be sufficiently important to be included in Baily’s Racing Register. There was a three race programme in which Lord Antrim had runners in each race, the principal race being the Bellair Ladies Plate where the Lord’s Shepherdess was beaten into second place by Merry Cupid. A three day meeting was certainly staged 10 years later, starting on Monday 27th July 1752 and finishing on Wednesday 29th July 1752. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 4 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Earl of Antrim, Lord Mazareen |
| Principal Races |
Bellair £20 and £40 Plates, Ladies Plate |
Thursday 5th August 1742
The Bellair Ladies Plate
1. Merry Cupid, black horse owned by Mr Kearing
2. Shepherdess, grey mare owned by Lord Antrim |
Monday 27th July 1752 |
Glenarm £20 Purse over 4 miles
1. Hack, bay gelding owned by Mr Dale
2. Unnamed chestnut mare owned by Mr Harris
3. Unnamed grey gelding owned by Mr Robinson |
Tuesday 28th July 1752 |
Glenarm £40 Plate over 4 miles
1. Chimney Sweeper, black gelding owned by Charles O’Neill
2. Fly, bay mare owned by the Earl of Antrim |
Wednesday 29th July 1752 |
Glenarm £30 Plate over 2 miles
1. Trusty, bay horse owned by the Earl of Antrim
2. Pledge, chestnut horse owned by Charles O’Neill
3. Unnamed black mare by Old Starling owned by Lord Mazareen |
| The final meeting took place on Wednesday 29th July 1752. |
| Course today |
In fields on the outskirts of the townland. |
| 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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