The first races recorded in the vicinity of Wexford were on land owned by James Downes in Adamstown, eleven miles from Wexford, on Wednesday 27th April 1870. The meeting, graced by the presence of the Earl of Granard, opened with a 50 Sovereigns Purse which saw Mr Robert Williams’s Clondaw Lass beat Bryan O’Lynn, Sloth and Hiltown. Later in the afternoon the Wexford Hunt Cup, over 3 miles, went to Mr W H West’s Brunette, defeating Counsellor and Paddy. By the 1880s the meeting had moved closer to Wexford on low lying bogland at Slobland, on the outskirts of Wexford. At the meeting on Thursday 29th September 1887 the principal races were the Wexford Town Plate, the Begerin Steeplechase Plate which was restricted to hunters owned by working farmers in the county of Wexford, and the Michaelmas Plate. Meetings at this venue only lasted until 1902 and were not particularly well supported, lacking real quality. Over eighty after that first meeting the inaugural meeting took place at the current location, Bettyville, on Monday 15th October 1951. It was a day which had been eagerly anticipated by locals and they turned up in their droves, with a crowd in excess of 17000 attending the inaugural meeting. At that first meeting the admission charge was 10s for gentlemen and 5s for ladies in the main enclosure, while 2s 6d was charged for the outside enclosure. On 31st May 1996 the new grandstand was opened by Ivan Yates, Minister of Agriculture. The undulating right handed course extends to a mile and 4 furlongs and, up to June 2016, offered both Flat and National Hunt racing. On 1st June 2016 the course decided to drop Flat racing from its programme and concentrate on National Hunt racing. Currently the course hosts 9 fixtures annually.
The Wexford Hunt Steeplechases inaugural meeting took place at Adamstown on Wednesday 27th April 1870 and was deemed to be a great success, for it easily competed with similar events on old established courses in all those striking features which combine to give attractiveness and character to a racecourse.
Wednesday 27th April 1870
Wexford 50 sovereigns Farmers Stakes
(for horses the bona fide property of farmers in the county)
1. Clondaw Lass, bay mare owned and ridden by Mr Robert Williams
2. Bryan O’Lynn, chestnut gelding owned by Mr James Downes and ridden by Shingan
3. Sloth, black gelding owned and ridden by Mr R A Carty
4. Hilltown, chestnut gelding owned and ridden by Mr John Whitney
Wexford 40 sovereigns Hunt Cup
1. Brunette, bay mare owned and ridden by Mr W H West
2. Counsellor, bay gelding owned by Mr Laurence Devereux and ridden by Mr E Nunn
3. Paddy, bay gelding owned and ridden by Mr C W Harvey
4. The Barnshute, bay gelding owned and ridden by Mr D L Beaty
Downstown £80 Open Handicap Stakes
1. Fly-away Jack (5/2) chestnut gelding owned by Mr Day
2. Gay Lad (8/1) bay gelding owned by Mr Young
3. Hopeful Boy (10/1) ding owned by Mr Colter
4. Blackbird (8/1) bay gelding owned by Mr Keating
Welter 25 sovereigns Stakes
1. Ishmael, chestnut gelding owned by Mr John Williams
2. Penders, bay gelding owned by Mr John Pender
3. Fairy, chestnut mare owned by Mr M A Maher
4. Plenipotentiary, brown gelding owned by Mr Malcolm
In the late 1880s the meeting had moved within 2 miles of Wexford on low lying bogland at Slobland, the first meeting being staged on Thursday 29th September 1887.
Thursday 29th September 1887
Embankment Plate 75 sovereigns over 2 miles
1. Fiction (4/1) owned by Major Studdert and ridden by W McAuliffe
2. Expectation (4/1) owned by Mr H D Jameson and ridden by Watkins
3. Blue Stockings (evens fav) owned by Mr H E Lunde and ridden by H Beasley
Michaelmas Plate 100 sovereigns over 7 furlongs
1. Early Bird (7/4) owned by Mr T G Gordon and ridden by McDonald
2. Dictator (5/4 fav) owned by Mr M A Maher and ridden by Saunders
3. Silkminster (6/1) owned by Mr Leetham and ridden by Lushington
Wexford Town Plate 120 sovereigns over 2 ½ miles
1. Eva (2/1 fav) owned by Mr P Kirk and ridden by W McAuliffe
2. Gold Digger (6/1) owned by Mr D Whelan and ridden by J Behan
3. Victrix (4/1) owned by Mr Bagge and ridden by F F Cullen
Foxhunters Steeplechase Plate 73 sovereigns over 2 ½ miles
1. Wild Drake (3/1) owned by Mr R D Jameson and ridden by H Beasley
2. Lucky Drop (6/1) trained by Mr W McAuliffe and ridden by W McAuliffe
3. The Dane (6/1) owned by Mr M A Maher and ridden by Saunders
Begerin Steeplechase Plate 35 sovereigns over 2 miles
1. Causeway (4/1) owned by Mr J Williamson and ridden by Maher
2. Fritter (2/1 fav) owned by Mr Tanner and ridden by Tanner
3. Greenfield (4/1) owned by Mr Tanner and ridden by Gaule
