Earliest meeting: Tuesday 29th March 1859
Final meeting: Friday 31st March 1871
The Welsh village of Llanboidy sits in magnificent countryside in West Carmarthenshire where hunting was a keen sport in days gone by. The village had staged race meetings as early as 1853, and the local Llanboidy Hunt committee also organised race meetings, the first of which was a two day meeting held on Tuesday 29th and Thursday 31st March 1859. The course was over 4 miles of good hunting ground on the outskirts of the village and at the inaugural meeting the feature race was the Cambrian Steeplechase. The opening day started with a match in which Mr Grismond Phillip’s Isaac beat sole rival Mr Saunders Davies’s Taffy, while the Handicap Sweepstake which followed went to The Martley owned by Mr Graham. The feature race on the first day, the United Hunt Steeplechase, was won by Mr Powell’s Ready Penny. After a day reserved for hunting the meeting concluded on Thursday 31st March when the Cambrian Hunt Hurdle was won by Mr Phillips’s Frederick. Entries had to be made at the Maesgwynne Arms hotel and the same venue hosted an Ordinary after racing each day. Meetings continued for each of the next 12 years, the final card taking place on Friday 31st March 1871. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 3 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Sir C D Timmins, Mr Grismond Phillips, Mr Saunders Davies |
| Principal Races |
Cambrian Steeplechase, Principality Hurdle |
Tuesday 29th March 1859
United Hunt Steeplechase over 3 miles
1. Ready Penny, bay gelding owned by Mr Powell
2. Violet, bay mare owned by Mr Lort Phillips
3. Mandarin, bay gelding owned by Mr Saunders Davies |
| The final meeting took place on Friday 31st March 1871. |
| Course today |
Over 4 miles of good hunting ground on the outskirts of the village. |
| 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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