Беллустоун празднует 300-летие: историческая трасса готовит масштабные торжества

1726 - what a year for Irish sport! Voltaire had just begun his exile in England, Britain's King George I was on the throne, and Ireland was in the midst of a chain of inadequate harvests and food scarcity. 1726 was also the year that Bavarian Duke Maximilian II Emanuel departed this earthly coil and the Ottoman and the Afghan Hotaki dynasties were tearing strips off each other. While the world focused on dynastic change and turmoil, some tweedy folk were on a hillside in the Boyne Valley engaged in more pleasant pursuits, quietly laying the foundations at Bellewstown for a sporting tradition that would stand the test of time. Now 300 years on since that first reported race meeting, course officials at Bellewstown - home of one of Ireland's earliest surviving documented horse racing meetings - are preparing for a big birthday bash. The scenic Co Meath track has nine meetings a year but as its tercentenary approaches, the days ahead have a special significance and will be marked with great celebrations, according to course officials. "We've got two great days ahead of us on the 25th and the 26th of August," says racecourse manager Jessica Cahalan. "On Tuesday, the 25th, our gate is generously sponsored by the bookies, so it's free entry for everyone who wants to come and the national anthem will be played by the Julianstown Youth Orchestra here," she said. "It will be our official opening of the new restaurant, the extension to the weigh room. And then on Wednesday, we'll have our family fun day." We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences Calahan describes the course as "iconic". "We're up in the hill of Crockafotha, and the view is beautiful, there's a beautiful parade ring, and it’s just such a beautiful setting," she says. "When you come in the gate, you can see the timeline of the racing of all the things that have happened here, and just how long racing has lasted, and how it's just grown and grown, and it's just wonderful to have it," Cahalan adds. The panoramic hillside track is currently a hive of activity. "It’s very exciting," says Bellewstown vice-chairman Alan Delany who is full of praise for the volunteer spirit that has kept the course front and centre over the years. "Without the local people, generous local sponsorship it just wouldn't work," he declares. Daniel O'Connell, the 'Liberator' and iconic jockey Lyster Piggott are among the high-profile names to have graced Bellewstown over its long and distinguished history - but the visit of a professional gambler in 1975 raised its profile from national to international. The Barney Curley-inspired Yellow Sam coup was one of the greatest betting heists of all time as the seasoned gambler exploited poor communications between the racecourse and off-track bookmakers. A phone box was hogged as one of Curley's crew inquired compulsively into "the health of a relative in hospital" and with the gambling maestro acutely monitoring proceedings from the Meath gorse, a 20-to-1 shot was soon to reap rich awards for those who hatched the scheme. "Curley thought of this idea to get money on wagers off course and there was no way of getting the message back because the famous phone box here was blocked," explains Bellewstown chairman Jack Gogarty as he remembers the saga with a rueful grin. "He took in excess of €2.5m in current-day money out of the bookies' satchels." That old-fashioned phone box now has pride of place trackside and the tale is prominent on Bellewstown's wall of fame. The 300-year-old course's fabled history and folklore is just part of its attraction. There is also a keen eye to the future. "We've invested heavily in the racecourse, watering systems and drainage systems. We built a whole new stable yard complex which will serve us well into the decades to come," says Gogarty. Much like Gulliver’s Travels, which also had its genesis in 1726, Bellewstown race course continues to stand tall 300 years later. And the cheers from the hill of Crockafotha are set to be louder than ever as it prepares for its next chapter.