Earliest meeting: Monday 2nd June 1783
Final meeting: Thursday 11th July 1850
Today the Irish town of Lucan is a suburb of Dublin, but at one time it was a village which held its own race meetings on a regular basis. It is located on the Rivers Liffey and Griffeen, just 8 miles south of Dublin city centre, and held meetings in the 18th and 19th century. The first record of a 6 day meeting was reported in the Dublin Evening Post and stretched from Monday 2nd to Saturday 7th June 1783, opening with the Lucan Cup over three heats each of 4 miles. Meetings continued for the next 67 years, often with at least two meetings staged every year. The meeting on Monday 13th January 1845 was on a grassland course comprised of 23 fair hunting fences principally quickset hedges, just outside of the village. The opening 3 mile Sweepstake was won by the brown gelding St Leger who beat Grisetta. The meeting was deemed so successful that a further meeting was held 2 months later on Monday 10th March 1845. Although it was originally just a match between Maria, owned by Mr Knaresborough, and Mr W Dyer’s Navarine, which the former won, it did extend to a full meeting. The final meeting, the third of that year, was held on Thursday 11th July 1850 with the final race won by Mr Jone’s Yellow Pat.
Monday 13th January 1845
Lucan Sweepstakes over 1 ½ miles
1. Income, chestnut horse owned by Mr J G Murphy
2. The Dwarf, bay gelding owned by Hon. Sandeland
3. The Only One, bay mare owned by Mr Farrell
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
