Clonmel betting with William Hill

Clonmel Racecourse stages flat and National Hunt meetings in County Tipperary, Ireland. The big Clonmel betting race of the year is the Clonmel Oil Chase. Famous winners at the track include Hedgehunter, Beef Or Salmon, Dorans Pride and War Of Attrition.

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Betting at Clonmel – The Big Meetings

The Clonmel Oil Chase is held in mid-November with the listed T. A. Morris Memorial Mares Chase on the supporting card. There are also two very competitive handicap hurdles for your Clonmel bets over 2m4f and 3m.

There are always plenty of hot tips for the Munster Hurdle at the January meeting. The same card also features the Tipperary Handicap Hurdle and the Jossesstown Handicap Chase.

The Mercedes-Benz Novice Hurdle takes place in mid-February. There are also well-attended evening meetings at the track during the summer months and a Ladies’ Day in early June.

Clonmel Betting – The Big Races

The Clonmel Oil Chase is for four-year-olds and upwards over 2m4f. The race was originally run as the Morris Oil Chase over 3m, but the distance was shortened in 1994. It was promoted to Group 2 status in 1996 and first run under its present title in 2003.

The Mercedes-Benz Novice Hurdle is over 3m and was first run in 2003. It was given listed status in 2008, before being promoted to a Grade 3 in 2013. Willie Mullins trained four consecutive winners of this race between 2013 and 2016.

The T. A. Morris Memorial Mares Chase is for four-year-olds and upwards over 2m4f. The race was first run in 2004, with victory going to Nolans Pride.

Clonmel Betting Tips

Willie Mullins is the trainer to follow for your Clonmel tips. He has maintained a very high percentage of winners here in recent seasons and tends to dominate the Clonmel betting. Any runners from the Mullins stable in chases here warrant the utmost respect.

His main rival is Gordon Elliott, who has also enjoyed plenty of success at Clonmel. Another useful Clonmel tip is to note the runners of Henry de Bromhead over hurdles at this venue.

The leading National Hunt jockeys at this track are Davy Russell and Rachael Blackmore.

There’s comparatively little flat racing at Clonmel but runners from the Dermot Weld stable are usually worth noting. Jockey Billy Lee has a good record at the track.

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Clonmel Course Characteristics

Clonmel is a right-handed track of about 1m2f. There’s a downhill run to the home straight, with an uphill finish. Although it’s quite a testing track, it tends to favour front runners unless the going is soft.

The jockeys can get a breather into their horses down the hill before quickening up the straight, making it difficult to come from off the pace. The second-last fence is notoriously tricky for tiring horses.

Although there are no sprint races here, a low draw is a slight advantage for your Clonmel bets on the flat, even in races up to 1m4f.

Famous Clonmel Races and Racehorses

The Clonmel Oil Chase was won four times in succession by Dorans Pride from 1997 to 2000. Michael Hourigan’s gelding was a great favourite with the Clonmel racing fans.

He won 29 of his 70 races under rules and started odds-on for all four of his course victories. In 1997 he defeated Imperial Call, who had won this race in 1995 and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1996.

The race has always attracted a high-quality field and other notable winners include Cheltenham Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition (2005) and the popular stayer Beef Or Salmon (2002).

War Of Attrition was a strong Clonmel tip when beating Rathgar Beau. He was second to Beef Or Salmon in the Lexus Chase, but reversed the form comprehensively at Cheltenham.

Edredon Bleu won the race at the age of 11 for Henrietta Knight and Jim Culloty in 2003. His biggest victory came in the 2003 King George VI Chase at Kempton Park.

2011 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Sizing Europe added his name to the impressive roll of honour in 2012. Henry de Bromhead’s top-class chaser was returned at Clonmel odds of 1/7 favourite.

Willie Mullins has dominated the race in recent years, winning it four times between 2013 and 2018. Kemboy won in 2018 and went on to win the Punchestown Gold Cup in 2019 with jockey Ruby Walsh calling time on his illustrious career immediately after the race.

The Mercedes-Benz Novice Hurdle is regarded as a trial for the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. It lived up to its billing in 2019, when 50/1 outsider Minella Indo beat Commander Of Fleet and Allaho at Cheltenham.

Allaho had beaten Minella Indo at Clonmel. The two horses filled the first two places at the Punchestown Festival, Minella Indo once again coming out on top.

Other notable winners of the Mercedes-Benz Hurdle include Cooldine (2008), Don Poli (2014) and Monalee (2017).

The most famous winner of the T. A. Morris Memorial Mares Chase was Vroum Vroum Mag for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh in 2015. She won the Grade 1 OLBG Mares’ Hurdle at the 2016 Cheltenham Festival and followed up in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle.

Hedgehunter won a maiden hurdle here for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh in 2002. He featured in plenty of Clonmel tips before winning at 13/8 favourite. It was the first of five career victories, most famously winning the Aintree Grand National in 2005, before finishing runner-up the following year.

Clonmel Horse Racing History

Clonmel races have existed for over 150 years, sometimes referred to as Powerstown. A Clonmel Supporters Club was formed in 1988 with the aim of seeking new sponsors, increasing prize money and encouraging the local community to become more closely involved.

The racecourse benefitted from an extensive refurbishment programme in 2009. This included increasing the capacity of the grandstand to 3,500 and enlarging the club stand to provide shelter for 1,000 racegoers.

Jockey Jack Kennedy became a YouTube sensation with a remarkable recovery aboard Robin Des Mana at Clonmel in December 2017. He was almost unseated at the fourth fence, when having both feet out of the irons and facing backwards at one point.

Kennedy somehow managed to scramble his way back into the saddle and eventually won the race by half a length. The horse was a popular Clonmel bet at 7/2 and his victory was greeted with huge cheers as he repelled 50/1 outsider Kiera Royale.

Clonmel Racecourse - How to get there

Clonmel racecourse is just over a mile from the town centre in the Powerstown area on the N24 towards Waterford. It’s around 24 miles south east of Tipperary, 50 miles south east of Limerick and 100 miles south west of Dublin.

The racecourse is less than half a mile from Clonmel Railway Station, which is just off the Fethard roundabout. There’s also a regular bus service to the track on race days. Clonmel is within easy reach of Waterford (30 miles), Cork and Shannon airports (60 miles).