Navan Racecourse

 

 

About Navan Racecourse

Navan Racecourse has hosted race meetings since 1920 and is a dual-purpose track with a strong National Hunt annual programme. Many Grade 2 contests are held at this venue including the well-attended Boyne Hurdle, Navan Novice Hurdle, Monksfield Novice Hurdle, Fortria Chase and Lismullen Hurdle. This course is generally reckoned to be one of the fairer tests in National Hunt racing across the country and the venue has played host to many future and past Grade 1 winners over the years.

The feature race on the Flat calendar is the Group 3 Vintage Crop Stakes which takes place in May, this feature developing into one of the key trials for the Ascot Gold Cup with previous winners including Forgotten Rules, Leading Light, Fame And Glory (twice) and Yeats (twice).

 

Location of Navan Racecourse

The town of Navan is situated less than 50km north-west of Dublin and the two centres are connected by a regular bus service. No trains connect Navan with the Irish capital however and arguably the best way to travel to Navan is by car along the M3, the journey generally taking less than one hour. The racecourse is located less than 4km from Navan town centre and taxis will set you back around €10 for a single fare.

 

Track

The dual-purpose track is left-handed, rectangular in shape with a length of one and a half miles. On the whole, it is galloping in character and has a stiff uphill gradient on the finishing straight of approximately three and a half furlongs. On soft and heavy ground, conditions can be extremely testing and an ability to stay the trip is essential. The chase course is on the outside of the hurdles and possesses nine fences on each circuit, three of these coming on the home straight with a one furlong run-in. The fourth-last fence from home immediately precedes a turn.

 

Flat

 

 

Jumps

 

 

 

Navan Racecourse Betting Guide

This is on the whole a fair track with a stiff uphill finish that can expose a runner with questionable stamina. Runners can win from any position on the Flat round track or sprint track with a draw not being a major factor. During the winter months, things can get extremely heavy although generally there are very few hard-luck stories here.

Trainers & Jockeys

Over the past three years, Gordon Elliott has been king of the trainers with most wins in chase (9 from 91), hurdle (29 from 166) and National Hunt Flat (13 from 32) although in the first two his strike rate trails Willie Mullins. A P O’Brien has topped the polls in Flat with 25 wins from 110 runners. Top jockey during the period has been Robbie Power in chase (6 from 17 rides), Davy Russell in hurdle (15 from 56 rides), C T Keane in National Hunt Flat (21 from 118 rides) and Ms L O’Neill on Flat (9 from 21 rides).