Courses

Ballyragget

Track info

County: Kilkenny

Soil Type: Luvisols - fine, loamy

Fences per circuit: 5

Fences per 3 mile race: 15

Direction: Left-Handed

Course Distance:

Elevation Change (Highest to Lowest Point):

TRACK GUIDE


Home to the North Kilkenny Foxhounds point-to-point since 1990, Ballyragget moved from a right-handed track to a left-handed configuration in 2011 and it consists of three straights and a long bend that links the home straight with the back straight.

Beginning on the inside of the final fence, runners pass the post on four occasions making their way on to fence one, the only one of three fences in the home straight jumped on the opening circuit. Immediately after jumping the fence, the track moves to the left along an extended gradual left-handed bend that brings the field into the back straight where fence two is located. This is the only fence in the back straight, as the runners then turn left-handed once again into a straight along the side of the course where they jump fence three.

Fence four, the first of three fences in the home straight, comes up quite quickly on the runners following the home bend, with a very slight rise bringing them through a gap to the fifth fence, which is also the last fence.

The five-year-old geldings maiden at the course has produced the likes of Grade 1 Cheltenham Festival winner Martello Tower, whilst the 2017 renewal went the way of the subsequent Grade 2 winner Neon Wolf, who was tipped for great things prior to suffering a fatal injury at home.

JAMIE CODD, RIDER

Ballyragget is a left-handed track where you complete three full circuits.

I find there is a lot of jumping to be done in the last half-mile, and the last three fences tend to come up very quick. You need to travel around here. If you have a horse behind the bridle, they can get caught out.

I think it suits to have a horse with a bit of experience around here. Run in March, the ground is not normally too bad and is never very heavy.