Earliest meeting: Thursday 9th August 1906
Final meeting: Thursday 9th August 1906
The Irish racecourse at Dalgan Park, near the town of Shrule, in County Mayo was the private course of Lord de Clifford. He owned Dalgan Park and established a racing stable, stud and private racecourse on the Park. On Friday 16th February 1906, when he was just 22 years of age, he married an actress Miss Eva Carrington. He enjoyed hunting in England with the Atherstone Hunt each December and his passion for hunting overflowed into racing when he promoted and sponsored a race meeting on Thursday 9th August 1906. The course was laid out within the demesne, complete with stand and offices built in the most modern fashion of the day. Although the meeting was private, with local gentry invited from Galway and county Mayo, on the fringes of the meeting were thousands of country folk who enjoyed a days holiday. The card opened with a Ladies Plate over a mile and a half which was won by Mr R Malone’s Caubeen, defeating Oyster Bay and Lady Strathmore. The Kilmaine Plate saw Mr M Dawson’s Ladies Man beat Limber Gunner and Dominican, while the Shrule Plate over five furlongs became a match in which First Over easily justified odds of 10/1 on to defeat Martha in a canter. Towards the end of the card the Hollymount Plate went to Lord Clancarty’s Poulbuoy. There were no further meetings held on the Park and tragically the Lord was killed in a motoring accident at Steyning, Sussex on 1st September 1909 aged just 25. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 4 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Lord de Clifford, Mr E E Conant, Mr W H West, Mr Percy Meynard (Stewards) |
| Principal Races |
Dalgan Challenge Cup, Shrule Plate, Hollymount Plate |
Thursday 9th August 1906
Dalgan Challenge Cup over 2 ¼ miles
1. Chorus Girl II, 5 year old owned by Lord de Clifford
2. Irish Nova, aged horse owned by Mr P D Coen
3. Joseph, 5 year old owned by Mr D F Ball
Betting: 4/5 Chorus Girl II, 3/1 Joseph, 6/1 Irish Nova |
| The final meeting took place on Thursday 9th August 1906. |
| Course today |
On Dalgan Park within the demesne. |
| 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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