Gowran Park Racecourse Guide

Built in 1914, just 13kms east of Kilkenny in a very scenic location is Gowran Park race course. A dual purpose track, it holds racing over the entire year and has seen some very notable winners of its major jump races in recent years, including Hedgehunter, Djakadam, On His Own, and Numbersixvalverde.

Noted as one of the most beautifully maintained and picturesque courses in the country, it is serviced by trains to Kilkenny from Waterford and Dublin stations. A free shuttle bus is then provided from Kilkenny to the track itself. One of the main features of the track is the highly regarded 18-hole golf course in the middle of the course that is available to play on if any day racing is not taking place.

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The Course

Gowran Park is a more or less oval-shaped, right handed track with a complete circuit being 1m 4f. It is essentially a long galloping track that gets quite testing in soft ground. There are undulations throughout so jockeys generally seek to give their horse a breather when the opportunity arises during downhill sections.

That is something that proves particularly important in the latter stages of races as the final three furlongs are all uphill, making for a stiff finish that can really see horses drop back. On the chase and hurdles course, horses face a run-in of around a furlong after taking on the final jump.

There is not an overly difficult jumping test provided here but the chase course can still throw up problems for some horses. The majority of the fences come in quick succession down the back straight, really testing an animal’s stride pattern. One poor jump can have a knock on effect for the rest as there’s little time for both jockey and horse to fully recover. The third to last jump, which features just after the home turn, is also one that some runners find tricky.

The flat track is essentially based on speed and it is better to be ridden prominently, particularly in shorter races. Those left to gallop at the front of the pack can be hard to peg back if able to pull ahead even by a small margin. In a prominent position, jockeys can choose to take the optimal, tight line around the bends, which often proves pivotal at a course where there’s plenty of gradual turning over long distances.

STRONG DRAW BIAS CLAIM A MYTH

It has long been the belief that an inside draw is of significant benefit in seven furlong races, the minimum distance even held at Gowran Park. The thinking behind this is that because the long sweeping home turn comes up very quickly, any horse stuck out wide is forced to cover a lot more ground. As sound logic as this is, statistics reveal that there’s really very little in the way of draw bias over seven furlongs.

Inside runners hold a slight edge but it’s not at all unusual to see a horse setting off from a double digit stall getting themselves first to the line. The minor advantage held by low draws in seven furlong races is lost when looking at contests of one mile in length. Over eight furlongs, the draw has no meaningful impact at a course where racing tactics tend to have the biggest say on how things pan out.

Major Meetings at Gowran Park

Kilkenny’s only racecourse stages around 16 to 18 meetings each year. A dual-purpose venue, the track is home to several high-quality events, with five Graded events over jumps and a Group class contest on the flat.

The jumps season begins in style with a two-day meeting in early October, which is headlined by the first of Gowran Park’s three Grade 2 contests. Relatively new to the scene, having made its debut in 1998, the 2m4f Gowran Park Champion Chase has become a key early-season target for the biggest Irish yards. Previous winners include subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Kicking King and the popular Sizing Europe, who won four successive editions between 2011 and 2014.

Moving deeper into the jumping season, January sees the track host its most famous race. First appearing at Gowran Park in 1954, the 3m1f Thyestes Chase counted the mighty Arkle among its earliest winners. In more recent times, the race has become a key trial for the Aintree Grand National, with Hedgehunter, Numbersixvalverde, and Nick Rockett all boasting a Thyestes Chase and Grand National success on their CV. The Grade 2 Galmoy Hurdle is the main supporting act on Thyestes Chase Day, and has been won by several high-class performers, including Cheltenham Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition.

Red Mills Chase Day provides a further jumping highlight, while the pick of the flat contests are the Listed Vintage Tipple Stakes in May and the Group 3 Denny Cordell Lavarack Fillies Stakes in September.

Dining and Hospitality

Gowran has a number of hospitality packages and, of course, bars and restaurants available to patrons each race day. The hospitality packages tend to include:

• Platinum Package: Admission to the races, a racing card, a reserved table in the restaurant, a multi-course buffet menu, access to a private bar, tote betting facilities, and free shuttle bus from Kilkenny City Centre.
• Silver Package: Admission to the races, a race card, money to spend on food and drinks, and access to transport via the city centre.
• Hen & Stag Packages: Admission, a race card, a free beverage, a reserved area, as well as transport to and from the city centre.