Fairyhouse Races
Ratoath - the first meeting held at fairyhouse was in 1848 when the ward union hunt held their point-to-point at this venue. from these small beginnings fairyhouse quickly established itself as one of ireland's premier racecourses. in 1870 the irish grand national was run for the first time and the winner was âsir robert peel'. the grand national quickly became ireland's most valuable and prestigious steeplechase and each success has its own rich tale, none more amazing than the win in 1929 of a six year old mare âalike', owned and ridden by 5'4â frank wise who was missing three fingers and who rode with a wooden leg. fairyhouse has always been one of the finest and fairest racecourses and continues to attract the leading horses both on the flat and over jumps. arkle, desert orchid, flying bolt, captain christy, prince regent, persian war, l'escargot and more recently istabraq, bobbyjo, florida pearl and limestone lad are just some of the legendary greats that have graced the almost 2 mile circuit.
