Earliest meeting: Monday 4th August 1884
Final meeting: Thursday 30th March 1911
The county Galway village of Moylough, located 20 miles from Roscommon and 32 miles from Galway, enjoys wonderful, rural countryside. In the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th century it staged its own race meetings on the Williamsgrove course. The meetings were low-key affairs, seldom attracting class horses, but the cards did offer competitive steeplechases and hunter chases. One of the earliest meetings took place on Monday 4th August 1884, beginning the most prolonged period of racing in the village. The meeting on Thursday 6th August 1885 was run under Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Rules and opened with the Moylough Plate which was won by Heatherbell. The Williamsgrove Plate saw Ringlet justify odds of 4/1 on against Shanbally and Jewess, but the remainder of the card was made up of pony races. Meetings continued for a further two years until Monday 26th September 1887 after which racing lapsed. Meetings were relaunched in the early part of the 20th century, continuing until a final meeting on Thursday 30th March 1911. |
| This racecourse is covered in Volume 4 of Racecourses Here Today and Gone Tomorrow. Ordering details shown below. |
| Local Patrons |
Marquis De Stackpoole, Sir Henry Grattan-Bellew, Mr T G Watts-Waters |
| Principal Races |
Moylough Plate, Bellew Plate, Williamsgrove Hunters Plate |
Thursday 6th August 1885
Moylough Plate
1. Heatherbell
2. Senhora
3. Lady Pauline |
| The final meeting took place on Thursday 30th March 1911. |
| Course today |
On the Williamsgrove course. |
| 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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