ENNIS RACECOURSE

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Earliest meeting: Monday 10th October 1763
Final meeting: Tuesday 19th August 1924

The Clare county town of Ennis, on the River Fergus, first held races in 1763 when results from its five day meeting were included in the ‘Historical List of Horse Races and Matches run in 1763’. The meeting began on Monday 10th October when the 4 mile Purse saw Mr Lambert’s Free-Mason defeat the more fancied Lottery owned by Sir Edward O’Brien. He aslo captured the Ennis Open on Thursday 14th October with Grizella. The next year the meeting extended over eight days when the most competitive race took place on Wednesday 23rd May, with Mr Taylor’s Partner getting the upper hand over Trimmer and Kitty. In 1794 The Irish Racing Calendar was published by its proprietor P. Sharkey and contained an Account of the Plates, Matches and Sweepstakes run for in Ireland from the April Meeting 1794. The publication reported that the Clare Gold Cup was won by Harkaway and the Ennis Town Plate by Junius. Although racing did not take place between 1807 and 1808 or from 1811 to 1812, races were staged on a regular basis on the Ballycoree course in other years. Throughout the years the meeting was supported by some high profile lovers of the turf, including Lord Mount Eagle and Sir Edward O’Brien. In 1824 the Right Honourable Vessey Fitzgerald sponsored the main Stakes race on Tuesday 24th August when Mr Kirwan’s Hohenlohe was pipped into second place by Giles owned by Mr Daxon. The final meeting took place on Tuesday 19th August 1924.
This racecourse is covered in Volume 4 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below.
Local Patrons Lord Mount Eagle, Sir Edward O'Brien, Right Honourable Vessey Fitzgerald, Major Kirwan
Principal Races Ennis Gold Cup, Vessey Fitzgerald Stakes, Ennis Stewards Sweepstake, Friendly Club Hunters Stakes

10th October 1763

Ennis 4 mile Purse
1. Free-mason, bay horse owned by Mr Lambert
2. Lottery, bay mare owned by Sir Edward O’Brien
3. Sir Callaghan, horse owned by Mr Heany

11th October 1763

Ennis 5 year old Stakes over 4 miles
1. Constant Betty, brown mare owned by Mr Heany
2. Hermione, chestnut mare owned by Sir Edward O’Brien
3. Come First, bay mare owned by Mr Higgins

12th October 1763

Ennis 4 year old Purse
1. Sinker, grey colt owned by Lord Mount Eagle
2. Lovely Peggy, bay filly owned by Mr Higgins
3. Unnamed grey filly owned by Mr McDonnell

14th October 1763

Ennis Open
1. Grizella, bay mare owned by Mr Lambert
2. Granby, chestnut horse owned by Mr Higgins
3. Smiling Nell, grey mare owned by Mr Heany
4. Esop (sic), bay horse owned by Sir Edward O’Brien

15th October 1763

Ennis Weight for Age
1. Modesty, bay mare owned by Mr Donelly
2. Sir Callaghan, horse owned by Mr Heany
3. Ophelia, bay mare owned by Captain O’Brien

In 1794 The Irish Racing Calendar was published by its proprietor P. Sharkey. It contained an Account of the Plates, Matches and Sweepstakes run for in Ireland from the April Meeting 1794. An extract of this is shown below.

Thursday 18th to Wednesday 24th September 1794

Clare Hunt sponsored 4 mile Plate
1. Bacchus owned by Mr Kirwan
2. Cashier owned by Mr Devonshire
3. Taffy owned by Mr I O’Callaghan

Ennis Gold Cup over 3 miles
1. Harkaway owned by Mr M Canny John
2. Miss Farren owned by Mr James Creagh

Friendly Club Hunters Stakes over 4 miles
1. Spott owned by Mr Butler
2. Harkaway owned by Mr M Canny John
3. Unnamed mare by Pickpocket owned by Mr Stoddard

Ennis Ladies Purse over 2 miles
1. Spott owned by Mr Butler
2. Cashier owned by Mr Devonshire
3. Grogg owned by Mr Vandelure

Thursday 19th to Tuesday 24th August 1824

Ennis Stewards Sweepstakes over a mile and a half
1. Giles owned by Mr Daxon
2. Prince Hohenlohe owned by Major Kirwan
3. Faithless owned by Mr Blake

Right Honourable Vessey Fitzgerald Stakes over a mile and a half
1. Giles owned by Mr Daxon
2. Hohenlohe owned by Mr Kirwan
3. Faithless owned by Mr Blake
The final meeting took place on Tuesday 19th August 1924.
Course today On the Ballycoree racecourse.
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

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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