Navan Racecourse Guide

Just north of Navan, in Proudstown, is where Navan Racecourse has stood since 1920. Although the course hosts both Flat and National Hunt racing, it is jump racing which the course is better known for and which sees a bigger share of the high quality races.

There are 18 days of racing scheduled each year at the course which is sometimes referred to as Proudstown Park. They are well spread out through the calendar to ensure keen Navan racegoers never have to wait too long before the next meeting.

Map

The Course

Navan’s left-handed oval circuit is around a mile and a half in length. It’s a good galloping track with two long straights and easy to manage turns. Many would consider it to be one of the fairest courses in the country too. Sticking out from the oval is an extension that creates a six furlong straight track for flat races. Sprint races at Navan will see some rather slow times however due to the very stiff three and a half furlong climb to the line. This is worth considering and can certainly catch some horses out.

It’s a finish which can become incredible tough during the National Hunt racing in winter as conditions are known to get very testing at Navan. It is important jockeys try and give their horses a breather before the uphill stretch as it’s a long battle to the line. As well as stamina, there is an emphasis on jumping ability as the nine fences aren’t the easiest, particularly the first down the back straight and the second last. The wide track gives runners plenty of room to take the jumps though, so big fields can easily be accommodated.

Major Races

Despite being downgraded from Grade 1 to Grade 2 in 2014, the Navan Novice Hurdle still remains as one of the major National Hunt races at the County Meath course. Due to take place in mid-December, it is run over a distance of two miles and sees winners who are often fancied at the Cheltenham Festival. Among Navan’s several other Grade 2 contests is the Fortria Chase, another two mile event which has twice been won by Moscow Flyer and three times by Big Zeb.

On the Flat course, the Vintage Crop Stakes usually creates a fair amount of hype every May. Named after the two-time Irish St. Leger winner, it’s a one and thee quarter mile test that was introduced recently, in 2003, and which has been won by the likes of Yeats, and Fame and Glory. It’s certainly no stranger to top quality horses, something which should only continue now that the race has been awarded Group 3 status.

Visiting

Most racedays at Navan take place at the weekend but there are a few exceptions to this each year. Navan is pretty laidback, like most of Ireland’s courses and is well worth a visit.