Roscommon Racecourse Guide

Roscommon Racecourse is located in the heart of middle Ireland and has played host to racing since 1885. It is a dual purpose course with fixtures taking place between May and September.

The racetrack is popular as it offers both National Hunt Races, as well as Flat. And, with such a close proximity to the town centre, it is easily reached by many patrons who tend to finish their day at the races at the Abbey Hotel in town for the famous ‘Race Dances’.

In terms of distances from nearby town, Roscommon is located in the western area of Ireland, not terribly far from Galway (approximately 77km) and easily reached from Dublin, as well (145 km away). With trains coming in from Dublin daily, the racetrack is easy to get to for many patrons, as it’s just a short taxi ride from the station. An hour away from the station, you will find the nearest airport – Knock West International.

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The Course

Roscommon is a flat, right handed rectangular track of 1m 2f, which is sharp in nature and favours speedy horses that prefer to be ridden upfront. The only part of the course that is not flat is the three furlong home straight, as there are slight undulations throughout.

The jumps course contains just five fences – two down the back straight and three in the home straight, before a run in of about 200 yards after the last obstacle. With the fences both infrequent and easy in nature, Roscommon offers very little in the way of a jumping test. Tackling the bends is the real big ask at the course, particularly the rather notorious second to last one situated at the end of the back straight.

SIGNS OF DRAW BIAS

There’s no sprint track at Roscommon but for seven furlong races there is a decent indication that an outside draw is preferable in races with 10 or more runners. A look at 21 handicaps – admittedly a relatively low sample size – over a four year period reveals that horses drawn high up won 13 of them.

Although this is a fairly small sample, the findings are still something of significance. Data also suggests that a high to mid draw is preferable during 1m 2f contest but the case for this is less convincing so there is no real need to factor it into your betting calculations.

Major Meetings at Roscommon

Roscommon’s short season consists of 10 meetings held between May and October. Unusually for an Irish course, all 10 of those fixtures take place on either a Monday or a Tuesday.

The beautiful, dual-purpose venue is among Ireland’s lower-key tracks, with most of the meetings dominated by mid-level handicapping fare. However, there are a few quality contests in the mix, both on the flat and over jumps. The standout event on the level is the Listed Lenebane Stakes in July. A 1m3f contest for runners aged three and older, the race takes its name from the townland on which Roscommon Racecourse resides.

The Connacht National provides a punting highlight in June, but the highest-class National Hunt contest arrives late in the Roscommon racing year. First run in 1998, the Grade 3 Kilbegnet Novice Chase is the track’s only graded event. One of the standout names to contest this one is Imperial Call, who finished third in the 1994 edition but improved to win the 1996 Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Dining & Hospitality

Roscommon has a variety of restaurants and bars available for racegoers. This includes three different bars, a variety of mobile food and drink vans across the racecourse, a buffet restaurant, along with a lounge overlooking the parade ring open to owners, trainers, and members. The largest hospitality space available can accommodate 70 to 100 guests and comes with a full bar and Tote betting facilities. Finger foods can also be catered upon request.

There are a few different packages to choose from, including one that includes admission, a multi-course meal, a race card, and a free bet. There are also group packages available upon request.