Ballinrobe Racecourse

 

 

Ballinrobe Racecourse is situated in the county of Mayo and it a dual purpose course with nine annual meetings taking place between May and September. Horse racing has taken place at this venue for almost 100 years with the course having opened at this location in 1921 and the meetings are always very well attended. The facilities for spectators are amongst the best in the country and the venue won the title Racecourse of the Year in 2012.

Racing takes place under both codes and is very competitive in each, the highlight of the Flat season being the Vaughanshoes.ie EBF Fillies Handicap which takes place in June. Classy sorts are attracted to the Treacy’s Pharmacy Chase which takes place over jumps in August, this race being won by Cheltenham Festival victor Savello in 2015.

 

Ballinrobe Racecourse Location

Ballinrobe Racecourse is situated approximately 2km from the centre of Ballinrobe on the N84 and it can be reached by local buses which run onwards to Castlebar. A walk from the town centre will take around 15-20 minutes while a taxi will set you back around €4.

 

Flat Track

The track at Ballinrobe is right-handed and oval in shape, the length being around a mile with a run in of little over a furlong. The back straight has an uphill gradient, however the closing stages are all downhill and speedy types tend to be favoured. The six-furlong races take place around a very sharp turn.

 

 

Jumps Track

The jumps track at Ballinrobe is a right handed oval which involves a nine furlong circuit. The back straight has an uphill gradient with the final two and a half furlongs all being downhill. This certainly isn’t a course for the staying type. A circuit has six fences with three of these being in the back straight and the last just after the final turn heading into the short straight to the line. There is a run-in of approximately one furlong.

 

Ballinrobe Racecourse Betting Guide

Flat

Make no bones about it, this is a very tight track and whilst it doesn’t exactly pay for runners to go off at a blistering pace, it does benefit to be prominent from the outset and a low draw can be a slight advantage if not exactly essential. The trickiest part for runners is the home turn given that it is particularly sharp and for challengers that go wide, a lot of ground can be lost. This may not be a track which produces course specialists, however having pace will be an asset at this venue.

 

Jumps

Ballinrobe has two tracks used for jumps, this course having opened a track extension which runs on the outside of the original track along the back straight. The older of the two tracks is pretty tight and generally it paid to be prominently placed. The final bend tends to throw runners out wide and if runners meet this wrong it would be quite usual to lose by five lengths or more, therefore being on the inside is certainly a help at this stage. The old track tended to breed course specialists. The new track is more galloping and is easier for all runners to handle. The fences are pretty easy.

 

Trainers & Jockeys

With strike rates of 33.33% apiece, Willie Mullins, Henry de Bromhead and Noel Meade come out on top, however most wins overall come from S J Mahon with four from twenty-two runners. Rachael Blackmore tops the jockey list with four wins from nine rides, however strike rate belongs to R C Colgan who has bagged two wins from his meagre total of three runs here, a rate of 66.66%.