Sligo Horse Races

The course itself at Sligo is a right-handed track of 1 mile in circumference.

Horse racing in Sligo has a long history dating all of the way back to 1781 although the current racecourse has only been in use ever since 1955.

Sligo racecourse is a smaller rural course and although there are only a few meetings held each year, the action is always worth a watch and is always a popular event for the local community.

Sligo racecourse enjoys both a central location which allows it to be part of the community and a hub of activity in the city, it still offers a scenic racing venue which h maximises that fact by offering a wide range of race meeting primarily held during the summer.

With Sligo been a popular tourist town and a bustling town in it’s own right, there is always a good mix of locals and out of towners at the courses which helps to create a festival like atmosphere no matter what the meeting or what the occasion.

That adds to the experience of all of us and helps to provide the perfect setting for all to give there all and for an exciting night of racing.

Best of all, each and every race from the course can be watched live online via the Sligo live streaming services that appear on this page.

The track is almost round in nature, or perhaps that should be a rounded square which offers lots of straights and lots of corners to maximise the speed of the horses and the skill of the jockeys.

The biggest meeting at the course comes in August, just after the Galway Festival, which helps it to attract some of the top horses and jockeys that are in the area for that event.

Racing in Sligo has a long history going back to 1781 which means that many of the races have a lot of history and prestige about them.

No matter if your preferred type of racing is National Hunt racing over Hurdles or jumps or flat racing, it can be enjoyed at Sligo as the course offers a good mixture of both although it has to be said that the biggest races are held mostly on the flat or hurdle courses.

No matter what type of racing you want to watch you no longer need to be at the course in person or head down to your local bookies to watch the action as our live streaming partners bring you each and every race from Sligo live online.

Watch along as your backed horse races around Sligo racecourse and hopefully on to victory via these streaming services and remember if you have already bet on the action with a bookie that doesn’t allow you to watch along, make sure your next bet is with one of the bookies on this page that allows you to watch along live.

There are a number of races that stand out at the course with highlights of the season including the Guinness Sligo Handicap Hurdle, the Martin Reilly Motors Hyundai Handicap Chase, the Kennedy’s Bar Sligo Handicap, and the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden.

The course offers modern facilities for fans in attendance including corporate facilities and a grandstand and it also offers good facilities for tv and live streaming services to bring you professional coverage from the course, all of which can be watched live online via your laptop, phone, computer, or tablet.

The course is round in nature but also offers a couple of straights of over a mile in length which allows for some great racing where horses can show their true speed and jockeys can show their skill around the corners.

1781: The earliest recorded racing in County Sligo

The history of Sligo Races reaches back to the eighteenth century, when organised horse racing was already attracting spectators to the west coast of Ireland. According to the official history published by County Sligo Races, the earliest recorded meeting under Turf Club rules took place at Bowmore, Rosses Point, in September 1781. The event was a four-day racing festival held on a horseshoe-shaped seaside course measuring approximately three miles.

The meeting featured stakes totalling 200 guineas, a substantial sum that reflected the importance attached to competitive racing at the time. The coastal setting made Bowmore a distinctive venue, and the meeting became an established local sporting occasion. Racing continued there annually, apart from a few cancellations, until the 1840s.

These early meetings formed the foundations of Sligo’s racing tradition. Although the facilities and organisation were very different from those of a modern racecourse, the central attraction was already familiar: horses competing for prizes in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The seaside course also established a connection between racing and the county’s distinctive landscape that would remain part of Sligo’s sporting identity.

1873: Racing moves to Hazelwood

After a break in racing at Bowmore, the sport found a new home near Sligo town. Local landowner John Wynne made land available at Hazelwood, close to Lough Gill, and the first meeting at the new venue took place on Wednesday, 16 April 1873. The programme consisted of five races conducted under Turf Club rules, providing a more formal structure for the meetings.

Hazelwood became an important chapter in the history of Sligo horse racing. Its location near Lough Gill offered a picturesque setting, while the course provided a venue for the county’s growing racing community. In 1886, however, the land became unavailable for racing. The organising committee responded by returning to Bowmore, where meetings were held for the following twelve years.

Racing returned to Hazelwood in 1898 and continued there, with interruptions during the First World War, until the final meeting on 8 April 1942. The results from that last meeting featured several familiar local racing names, reflecting the close connections between the sport and the surrounding communities.

The closure of Hazelwood created a serious challenge. Without a permanent venue, Sligo’s racing tradition struggled to maintain its footing. Meetings described as Sligo fixtures were subsequently staged at Newbrook, outside Mullingar, during the 1946–47 and 1949–50 periods. These temporary arrangements helped keep the tradition alive while organisers searched for a suitable permanent site.

1949: Plans for a new racecourse at Cleveragh

Following the loss of Hazelwood, the Sligo Race Committee recognised that a new venue was needed to meet modern racing requirements. Several potential sites around County Sligo were considered, including the possibility of returning to the historic course at Bowmore.

Eventually, attention turned to Cleveragh Demesne, land that Sligo Corporation had recently purchased from the Wood-Martin family. An area known locally as the Pump Field was identified as suitable for a racetrack. After several inspections, the Irish racing authorities approved the proposed site in 1949, and the corporation agreed to make the necessary land available under a long-term lease.

R. G. Brandshaw, the town clerk, played an important role in facilitating the arrangement. His involvement helped turn the proposal into a practical plan, giving the race committee the opportunity to establish a permanent home for racing close to Sligo town.

The name Cleveragh has also been linked to local cultural heritage. The area was historically associated with basket makers and sally gardens, and local tradition connects the landscape with W. B. Yeats’s celebrated poem *Down by the Salley Gardens*. This association adds a distinctive cultural dimension to a racecourse already known for its scenic surroundings.

24 August 1955: The opening of the present racecourse

The modern era of Sligo Races began on Wednesday, 24 August 1955, when the new course at Cleveragh officially opened. The first race was scheduled for 3 pm, and more than 7,000 racegoers attended the inaugural meeting. The Mayor of Sligo, E. Tolan, formally declared the racecourse open.

The opening attracted considerable attention from the local and national press. Spectators travelled by car, bus and special train, demonstrating the strength of public enthusiasm for the return of racing to the county. Special rail services and excursion tickets helped visitors reach Sligo, while a shuttle bus connected the railway station with the racecourse.

The opening programme consisted of six races, including the Garavogue Handicap Hurdle, the Cleveragh Maiden, the Benbulben Handicap Hurdle, the Lough Gill Maiden Plate, the Sligo Handicap and the Cairns Plate. The race names reflected the county’s local geography and heritage, linking the new venue with the surrounding landscape.

The return of racing was widely welcomed. Contemporary reports praised the layout and construction of the course, while the Irish Press highlighted the enthusiasm of spectators who had gathered for the first meeting since racing at Hazelwood ended in 1942. The opening winner at the new venue was Soloe, who won the Cleveragh Hurdle, sharing the honours with trainer Dan Moore and jockey Pat Doyle according to contemporary reporting.

The successful opening marked a turning point for Sligo horse racing. After more than a decade without a permanent local course, the county once again had a venue capable of supporting regular meetings and developing its racing programme.

2013: A major investment in modern facilities

As the racecourse developed, improving the experience for racegoers and racing professionals became an important priority. A significant capital development project reached its first major milestone in 2013, when a new grandstand and several upgraded facilities were completed ahead of the meeting on 5 May.

The development included new jockey changing facilities, showers, toilets and a sauna, alongside improvements to the Pavilion Bar, Tote betting facilities, offices and the main entrance turnstiles. These changes modernised the venue and improved the practical facilities needed to host professional racing meetings.

Further investment followed. In October 2015, Horse Racing Ireland announced grant assistance of close to €800,000 for County Sligo Races under its Racecourse Capital Development scheme. The racecourse had outlined plans for additional improvements costing more than €1.9 million.

The proposed works included improvements to bars and restaurants, enhanced viewing areas, upgraded weighing-room facilities, better accommodation for owners and trainers, and improvements to entrances and public amenities. These projects reflected the racecourse’s commitment to maintaining a comfortable environment while preserving its distinctive local character.

Sligo Racecourse today

Today, Sligo Racecourse remains an important part of the sporting life of County Sligo. The course at Cleveragh hosts both flat racing and National Hunt fixtures, with meetings spread across the spring, summer and autumn. Its programme typically includes afternoon meetings, evening racing and popular summer events that attract local residents and visitors alike.

The course is a sharp, undulating, right-handed circuit measuring just over a mile. Its bends and short, slightly uphill home straight make positioning important, while the steeplechase course provides a further test of jumping ability. These characteristics give Sligo its own identity within the wider Irish racing calendar.

The venue’s scenic setting remains one of its most appealing features. Close to Sligo town and surrounded by the landscapes of the northwest, it offers a different experience from the country’s larger metropolitan racecourses. Its facilities allow visitors to enjoy the racing alongside refreshments and social activities, while the annual August meetings provide a highlight of the local sporting calendar.

From the seaside races at Bowmore in 1781 to the modern grandstand at Cleveragh, the history of Sligo Races demonstrates the determination of local organisers to preserve a sporting tradition through changing circumstances. The move between venues, the interruption caused by the Second World War and the eventual opening of the present course in 1955 all form part of that story.

For today’s racegoers, Sligo Racecourse offers a connection to this heritage alongside the excitement of contemporary competition. Whether you are watching a flat race, following a horse over hurdles or enjoying the atmosphere of a summer evening meeting, you are taking part in a tradition that has endured for generations. And if your chosen horse wins, you can celebrate your excellent judgement. If it loses, there is always next time.