Earliest meeting: Monday 13th May 1850
Final meeting: Monday 30th May 1853
The south Dublin suburb of Palmerstown, near the River Liffey, is located 5 miles west of the city centre and was once a village in its own right. It was certainly holding minor race meetings in the middle of the 18th century in conjunction with its annual horse fair each August, but more formally organised meetings were staged by the Palmerstown Hunt Group in the middle of the 19th century. One of the earliest meetings organised by the Hunt Group took place on the Lucan racecourse on Monday 13th May 1850 with a three race card consisting of two steeplechases and a flat race. The meeting immediately followed on from the Mullingar Steeplechases and, given the puny stakes, was destined to attract little interest despite the Great Southern and Western Railway running a special train service. The main 3 mile steeplechase was sponsored by William Lynch, Master of the Palmerstown Harriers, who donated a whip, and it attracted a good field in which Mr Abbot’s Sleet overcame the determined challenge of Exile. The Donoughmore Stakes, over a mile and a half of the steeplechase course, saw Mr Cassidy’s Wirrastrue beat Weasel and The Baronet’s Daughter, while the Flat Sweepstakes was won by Mr Cullen’s Harkover at the main expense of Yellow Pat. The group were nomadic, and three years later a meeting was staged on the Confey Castle course, about 7 miles from Palmerstown, on Monday 30th May 1853.

William Lynch, Mr C Hall, Mr F Hall (Stewards)

Monday 13th May 1850
Palmerstown Hunt Stakes over 3 miles
1. Sleet, bay mare owned by Mr J Abbot
2. Exile, bay gelding owned by Mr William Lynch
3. Saucy Dick, brown gelding owned by Mr Hall
4. Kate, bay mare owned by Mr Lawless

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