FIRST STEEPLES RACES IN IRELAND

Press, Issue 33842, 14 May 1975, Page 9

FIRST STEEPLES RACES IN IRELAND

Almost as if old-time flat races were not strenuous enough, someone had to invent steeplechasing . . . and, not so strangely, that someone had to be an Irishman. But records in the possession of the O’Briens of Dromoland are silent as to whether it was a Mr O’Callaghan or Mr Edmund Blake who issued the challenge that led to the very

first steeplechase in 1752 between the Church of St Buttevant and the spire of St Leger Church. In 1803 “the first regular steeplechase” took place in Ireland. “Added money” was a hogshead of claret, a pipe of port and a quarter cask of rum. There were English matches of 20 miles and more at about the time of

Waterloo, but the Irish still blazed the trail. There was one great race at Lismore when the betting was evens that there would be six falls among the field of six — no-one bothered to quote odds against any individual starter winning. In fact the winner fell four times and the report of the race cheerfully added: “In all, 12 falls, but nobody killed.”