Set just 30kms from Dublin in the equine county of Kildare, Naas is one of the most progressive racecourses in the country. Established in 1924, racing has taking place at the venue every year since then with the list of fixtures only continuing to grow. For anyone looking to maybe take in two meetings in quick succession, Naas is located only 20 mins drive from The Curragh if you choose to stay locally.
Naas is one of the most important trial tracks on both the flat and over jumps in Ireland with many precursors to big races both here and in the UK taking place at Naas throughout the year. The track itself gained another major milestone in 2015 as it hosted its first ever Grade 1 National Hunt race when the Lawlor’s Hotel Novice Hurdle took place.
You can get the train from Dublin Heuston station to the nearby Sallins and then catch the bus from Sallins to Naas. Or, you can get a bus to Naas from Dublin directly, jumping on Route 126, which drops you off just a short jaunt from the racetrack.
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Naas Racecourse Guide
Naas Racecourse
The Course
A left handed oval of 1m 4f with an uphill climbing 4f finish, each trip takes every yard of getting at Naas. A two-furlong chute at the entrance of the challenging home straight allows for five and six furlong sprints to take place on a straight course. This sprint track has always been a decent place to ride but that’s more the case now they’ve removed the ridges and carried out levelling work across the opening three furlongs.
The chase course is situated to the outside of the hurdles course and contains eight fences to a circuit, two of them coming on the four furlong home straight. They are best described as tough but fair, with the last of them coming in just over one furlong from the line.
Generally it pays to be handy round this course as the ground runs quicker throughout the second half of the circuit, making it more difficult for horses wanting to come off the pace.
POSSIBLE TO WIN FROM ANYWHERE
Five furlong starts are uncommon at Naas and due to the small sample size you really can’t make any definitive statements even if the data points towards a slight high drawn bias. This is especially true given the work they’ve done on the sprint course, something which, in theory at least, should have evened out the playing field in more recent years.
Unsurprisingly, there’s little in the way of bias over six furlongs either. Fields tend to congregate towards the middle of the course, partly due to the narrowing of the track but it also suggests the ground isn’t any better on either edge.
The draw is of not great importance during races stretching seven furlongs or a mile either. Both begin from a chute at the top of the course and from this point there is a long run prior to the home turn so jockeys have ample time to wrestle for a decent positon. If anything, the draw has a bigger impact during 1m 2f contests, which begin just before much left-handed turning but again it’s not really something you need to be wary of.
Major Meetings at Naas
Naas stages nine flat meetings between April and September, and eight jumps fixtures between November and April.
The track is best known for its only Grade 1 contest, the Slaney Novice Hurdle – formerly known as the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle for sponsorship reasons. Held over 2m4f, the race can provide a key stepping stone towards the Cheltenham Festival. 1978 champ Golden Cygnet went on to win the Supreme Novice Hurdle, while Envoi Allen (2020) and Bob Ollinger (2021) followed up in the Ballymore Novices Hurdle. The Mouse Morris-trained Rule The World claimed the 2013 edition before going on to a famous success in the 2016 Aintree Grand National.
The Slaney Novice Hurdle is the only top-tier race, but Naas hosts seven further Graded events. Included in that number are the Grade 2 duo of the Newlands Chase and Johnston Novice Hurdle, which share top billing on a quality card in February. One month later, the Leinster National is regularly contested by runners en route to the Irish Grand National.
The Group 3 duo of the Goffs Lacken Stakes and the Coolmore Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes takes centre stage on Royal Ascot Trials Day in May. The 2023 winners of those contests, River Tiber and Porta Fortuna, both followed up at the Royal meeting. The Blue Wind Stakes in June is named in honour of the 1981 English and Irish Oaks heroine, while the official Naas Oaks Trial takes place in May.
Dining & Hospitality
Naas Racecourse has private suites that can accommodate from 10 people up to 120 people with a selection of packages available. The hospitality package can include admission, a race programme, exclusive use of a private suite with a balcony that overlooks the racecourse, a range of food options (finger foods, afternoon tea, buffet meal, silver service meal), advice from a betting tipster, a bar, private Tote betting facilities, CCTV viewing of the races and other sporting events, and a drinks voucher.
The racecourse also features a restaurant with package deals that tend to include admission, a race card, a reserved table for the day, a multi-course meal, and a dedicated waiter.