Backing an Irish winner
15/04/2010 - 15:16:07This may seem like a statement of the obvious, but the first step in backing an Irish winner is to back a horse that runs on an Irish racecourse. Horse racing in Ireland offers 27 racecourses - more per head of population than any country in the world - offering something for everyone.
The so-called "Premier" racecourses, the Curragh, Fairyhouse, Galway, Leopardstown and Punchestown are understandably the best known.
The Curragh, otherwise known as the "Home of Irish Racing" and rightly so, takes its name from the old Irish word, Cuirreach, meaning "racecourse". The Co. Kildare venue hosts numerous prestigious races each year, including the Irish 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, the Irish Derby and Oaks and the Irish Field St. Leger. The course, itself, is right-handed with no sharp bends, but is uphill throughout the final three furlongs. Numerous training and breeding establishments, including the National Stud, can be found in the vicinity of the Curragh, with over 25% of the horses trained in Ireland trained in the area.
Fairyhouse hosts 17 meetings a year, most notably the premier National hunt race in Ireland, the Irish Grand National, run on Easter Monday each year. The course is right-handed, with a circuit of 1 mile 6 furlongs and is considered to be one of the fairest in the country. Over the years, horses that have entered the annals of racing history, including Flying Bolt, Arkle, Desert Orchid and Istabraq, have competed at Fairyhouse. Not bad for a racecourse that started as a point-to-point venue in the middle of the 19th century.
The Irish like their racing festivals, the largest and most colourful of which is the Galway Summer Festival, which is as famous for its atmosphere and facilities as for its racing. Records of organised racing in County Galway go back to the middle of the 18th century and beyond. Galway racecourse, on the outskirts of the city, is right-handed and almost rectangular, with a circuit of 1 mile 2 furlongs. The course descends sharply to the home turn and the final two furlongs are uphill. The final two fences, which are situated in a dip at the bottom of the hill, are renowned for being the closest together of any two fences on any racecourse in the world and present a unique test for even the most accomplished jumper.
Punchestown, south of Dublin near Naas, is home to the second largest racing festival in Ireland in terms of popularity. Punchestown racecourse is an oval of two miles with a run-in of three-and-a-half furlongs; it has undergone a major transformation and is, without doubt, one of the best tracks in the country. Punchestown, too, has its origins in the 18th century and indeed, still retains its famous bank course that was used before hurdles and fences were introduced 150 years ago. The Ladies Perpetual Cup and the Quinns of Baltinglass Steeplechase are both run over the bank course during the festival in late April.
Leopardstown racecourse, again south of Dublin, overlooking Dublin Bay, is another popular venue insofar as it hosts 23 meetings a year, 14 on the Flat and 9 under National Hunt rules. The four-day Christmas National Hunt Festival is always well attended and, during the Flat season, the Phoenix Stakes and the Champion Stakes (won in 2009 by the all-conquering Sea The Stars, who also won the 2,000 Guineas, the Derby and the Prixe de l`Arc de Triomphe) are the highlights.
Irish racing is, of course, not confined to Premier racecourses and there are numerous Grade 1 and Grade 2 courses on which high quality Flat and National Hunt racing takes place all year around. Assessing horse racing form can be difficult and time-consuming and this may be especially true for Irish horse racing. Horse racing in Ireland is, nevertheless, hugely popular and there are many industry experts who are prepared to offer you the benefit of their experience in the form of racing tips, available free of charge.
