Earliest meeting: Monday 30th September 1754
Final meeting: Tuesday 1st October 1754
The village of Nobber is built close to the River Dee in County Meath. It has always been a place of some importance because of its location between the ports of Dundalk and Drogheda, some 12 miles north of Navan. Even in Norman times there was a settlement in Nobber and its very name means ‘the work’ which is making reference to the moat around a Norman Castle. On the outskirts of Nobber is Shields and it is here that racing took place in the mid-1700s. The Historical List of Horse Races and Matches first recorded racing at Shields in 1754 when a two day meeting was staged on Monday 30th September and Tuesday 1st October 1754. The first day feature went to Mr Henry Wildridge’s Mouse, while on the second day the Nobber £30 Purse was won by Mr Burrow’s Pettycoat Tight who beat Bully and Durcling.

30th September 1754

Shields £20 Give and Take
1. Mouse, horse owned by Mr Henry Wildridge
2. Dapper, chestnut owned by Mr Burrows
3. Andrew, bay horse owned by Mr Smyth
4. Poppet, brown horse owned by Mr Howard

1st October 1754

Nobber £30 Purse
1. Pettycoat Tight, bay mare owned by Mr Burrows
2. Bully, gelding owned by Mr Henry Wildridge
3. Durcling, bay gelding owned by Mr Sanderson

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