Leopardstown Racecourse
About Leopardstown Racecourse
Located close to Dublin, Leopardstown Racecourse is Ireland’s premier dual-purpose course, high quality action taking place throughout the year under the auspices of National Hunt and Flat. Indeed this venue hosts 23 annual meetings with two Group 1 races on Flat and 13 Grade 1 over jumps. The standout Flat meeting is the Irish Champion Stakes day which contains half of the Irish Champions weekend, this taking place in September. The Staoes itself is justly regarded as one of the world’s best races and winners have included the likes of Snow Fairy, Sea The Stars, High Chaparral and Giant’s Causeway.
During the winter months, this prestigious racecourse also hosts some significant meetings such as the Irish Champion Hurdle meeting which takes place in January. February sees the Hennessy Gold Cup, while the standout winter event is surely the Christmas Festival with four days of quality action starting on St Stephen’s Day. Top-class horses in most divisions are given a chance to impress with seven Grade 1 races and this event attracts some of the biggest crowds of the year.
Location of Leopardstown Racecourse
Leopardstown is conveniently situated less than 8km from the centre of Dublin, connections being made very easy thanks to the frequent bus and tram connections. The LUAS tram stop at Leopardstown Valley is a ten-minute walk from the main grandstands and this is perhaps the most popular form of transport given that congestion is ever-present for the larger meetings. A taxi from Dublin City centre will set you back around €25 – €30 each way.
Jumps Track
This is a wide track, oval in shape and left-handed with a length of around one and three-quarter miles. This is a level course with easy turns, however there is a slight uphill gradient following the final bend. The track provides a fair test, however three fences in the back straight are located close together, this sometimes catching out the lesser-accomplished chaser. There is an inner-hurdles course which is used occasionally, this being sharper than the chase track in character and providing runners with a big test of tactical speed.
Flat Track
A one and three-quarter-mile long track, oval in shape and left-handed. This track is generally level with the exception of a slight uphill gradient after the final bend. The turns are fairly easy and it is galloping in character.
Leopardstown Racecourse Betting Guide
Flat
This tends to be a stiffer track than many believe, the straight containing a long gradual rise. Runners can start racing from a substantial way out and as such, races can be really strong tests. Low draws tend to be an advantage especially in the six-furlong sprints, the reason for this being that the bend comes up very quickly after the start. It isn’t easy – although by no means impossible – to make all of the running at this course, especially on the outside track where the straight is longer than that of the inside track.
Jumps
An excellent galloping track in which there are few hard luck stories. The inside and outside hurdle tracks have different characters and it can pay to be handier on the former, especially in bigger field sizes. The fences are fairly stiff, however they are in general fair and ride well.
Trainers & Jockeys
Over the last three years, Willie Mullins has been top of the pack with a combined total of 28 wins from 221 runners, while A P O’Brien dominates on Flat over this period with 59 wins from 316 runners. Pick of the jockeys are MP Walsh on chase (7 from 36), Davy Russell on hurdle (11 from 55), P W Mullins on National Hunt Flat (6 from 17) and D O’Brien on Flat (25 from 123).
