A fine dual purpose track located about 50kms north of Dublin in county Meath, Navan is one of Ireland’s premiere National Hunt tracks. Opened first in 1920, and undergoing refurbishments and track upgrades in the 1990s and in 2014, the track is one of the best maintained in the country.
Navan is known for its ultra competitive style of racing and with multiple Grade 2 events on the cards during the year, it is arguably the fairest test of a National Hunt horse you will find in Ireland.
You can easily get a bus to Navan from Dublin’s central station, Busaras, which stops a short 3 kilometres from the racetrack where you can easily find a taxi. The nearest railway station, however, is Drogheda, which is 24 kilometres from Navan, so it’s advisable to pre book your taxi if you’re planning to get the train to this location.
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Navan Racecourse Guide
Navan Racecourse
The Course
Navan is a left handed, rectangular track of 1m 4f with a stiff uphill finishing straight of three and a bit furlongs. This straight joins to a small chute by the final turn to allow sprints to take place in a straight line.
While Navan is galloping in nature, the ground can become very sticky in soft or heavy conditions, so the ability to see out the trip is vital for any horse coming here, especially with that tough uphill finish. Indeed stamina is probably the main thing required from any hopeful horse when the going is yielding or worse and those with any question marks about the trip will likely find themselves exposed.
The chase course contains nine fences in total with seven plain fences and two open ditches. Three of the obstacles come in the uphill home straight that features a run-in of just under a furlong. The trickiest fence on the course is the fourth from home, which is followed by a turn almost immediately upon landing. The key to riding at Navan is getting a breather into the horse during the back straight as it is a long way home after here on a course where horses tend to ride quite quickly.
A MOST FAIR REPUTATION
You’ll rarely see any jockey or trainer describe Navan as anything but a fair track. It’s the best horse that wins here almost every time so any excuses have to be directed towards things other than the course itself.
In terms of pace bias, it’s possible to win racing prominently, from midfield or from further back, with no tactic really preferred over the other. There’s a similar lack of draw bias too with no stalls proving better whether on the straight sprint course or the main circuit. Overall, for both flat and National Hunt racing, Navan makes a strong claim to be the fairest course in the country and indeed anywhere in the British Isles.
Major Meetings at Navan
Navan hosts 18 meetings each year, consisting of nine National Hunt fixtures between September and March, and nine flat race days between March and October.
The two-day Navan Racing Festival in November tops the National Hunt bill. This weekend meeting features the track’s signature handicap of the Troytown Chase, and the Grade 2 duo of the Lismullen Hurdle and the Fortria Chase. The Lismullen Hurdle has been won by a host of high-class performers, including Apple’s Jade, Limestone Lad, and Dorans Pride. The Fortria Chase, meanwhile, serves as a key trial for the Queen Mother Champion Chase, with Moscow Flyer (2003) and Big Zeb (2010) following up in the Day 2 feature at the Cheltenham Festival.
The classy action continues throughout the jumping season. December sees the annual edition of the Navan Novices Hurdle, while the fellow Grade 2 events of the Boyne Hurdle and Webster Cup take place in February. The 2m5f Boyne Hurdle roll of honour includes the names of the popular Grade 1 star Limestone Lad, Cheltenham Gold Cup king War Of Attrition, and dual Aintree Grand National hero Tiger Roll.
Away from the National Hunt fare, Navan stages four Listed events and a Group 3 contest on the flat. Taking place in May, the Vintage Crop Stakes is the pick of the Listed events and regularly serves as a stepping stone towards the Ascot Gold Cup. Royal Ascot stars Yeats, Fame and Glory, and Kyprios all boasted multiple Vintage Crop Stakes wins. Promoted to Group 3 level in 2024, the Salsabil Stakes is the highest-class flat race held at Navan. 2024 winner Ezaliya advertised the quality of the race as an Oaks trial when following up in the Epsom Classic.
Dining & Hospitality
Navan has a host of both public and private on course amenities, including two restaurants, suites and function rooms appropriate for 10 to 220 guests, a membership pavilion area complete with hot food, snacks, and drinks, as well as a public bar and café.
The hospitality packages can be catered upon request and typically include admission to the races, a multi-course lunch, a race card, and a reserved table. The racecourse also offers a BBQ option in the summer months.