Gowran Park betting at William Hill

Gowran Park stages both flat and National Hunt racing in County Kilkenny, Ireland. The big Gowran Park betting races over jumps include the Thyestes Chase, Gowran Park Champion Chase and the Galmoy Hurdle.

The roll of honour for the Thyestes Chase includes the two highest-rated steeplechasers of all time in Arkle (1964) and Flyingbolt (1966). Aintree Grand National winners Hedgehunter (2004) and Numbersixvalverde (2005) also rewarded plenty of Gowran Park bets in this race.

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Betting at Gowran Park – The Big Meetings

There are always plenty of Gowran Park tips for the Thyestes Handicap Chase, which takes place in January. The same card also features the Galmoy Hurdle.

Red Mills Day takes place in February and features the sponsored Red Mills Chase and the Red Mills Trial Hurdle.

The May meeting features the Listed Vintage Tipple Stakes over 1m6f. The Denny Cordell Lavarack Fillies Stakes became the first Group race ever staged at Gowran Park in 2006. It’s the most significant flat race of the season here and takes place on a Sunday in September.

The Gowran Park Champion Chase is the highlight of the October Festival, a two-day fixture which opens on the Friday with listed class bumper and hurdle races.

There are also evening meetings during the summer months and the increasingly popular Ladies’ Day in late July.

Gowran Park Betting – The Big Races

The Grade 2 Thyestes Handicap Chase is over an extended 3m, with 17 fences to be jumped. The race is regarded as a significant Grand National trial.

The Grade 2 Galmoy Hurdle is over 3m too, named after the Irish-trained winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in 1987 and 1988.

The Grade 2 Red Mills Chase is over 2m4f and the Grade 3 Red Mills Trial Hurdle is over 2m. The Grade 2 Gowran Park Champion Chase is over 2m4f and was first run in 1998 when it was won by Dorans Pride.

The Group 3 Denny Cordell Lavarack Fillies Stakes is for three-year-olds and upwards over 9f. The inaugural running in 1996 was won by Ceirseach, trained by Jim Bolger and ridden by Kevin Manning.

Gowran Park Betting Tips

Willie Mullins has a formidable record here and is the trainer to follow for your Gowran Park bets. He has maintained an excellent strike rate with his runners over fences and hurdles in recent seasons.

Gordon Elliott has enjoyed success in chases, while Joseph O’Brien features in plenty of Gowran Park tips with his hurdlers.

Paul Townend is the leading jockey at Gowran Park in recent years and has the powerful Mullins stable behind him. Rachael Blackmore and Davy Russell both ride the course particularly well.

Aidan O’Brien has a good record on the flat here, but that is usually reflected in the Gowran Park odds. Ger Lyons is another trainer to note on the level and jockeys Colin Keane and Donnacha O’Brien both have impressive records at this course.

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Gowran Park Course Characteristics

Gowran Park is a right-handed, undulating track of about 1m4f. The course can put the emphasis on stamina when the ground rides soft.

The fences are not particularly testing, but the undulations can get horses on and off the bridle. The 3f home straight is uphill, with a 1f run-in after jumping the last.

Despite the undulations and uphill finish, it usually pays to stick with horses who race prominently for your Gowran Park tips. You should also look for a low draw in races over 7f, where the runners meet the bend quite soon after leaving the starting stalls.

Famous Gowran Park Races and Racehorses

Three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Arkle won the Thyestes Chase in 1964. Flyingbolt won the same race in 1966, prior to winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Irish Grand National. He beat Height O’Fashion by a distance when conceding 28lbs. Flyingbolt repeated the performance in the Irish National at Fairyhouse when defying top weight of 12st 7lbs.

Willie Mullins has enjoyed great success in the Thyestes Chase. His winners include Hedgehunter (2004), On His Own (2012 and 2014) and Djakadam (2015). Invitation Only gave him his seventh victory in the race in 2018.

British runners in the Thyestes Chase are not that common, but Zeta’s Lad (1993) and Couldn’t Be Better (1997) did win the race for John Upson and Charlie Brooks respectively.

Other notable winners in recent times include Wylde Hide (1995 and 1996) and Preist’s Leap (2008 and 2009).

The Champion Chase always attracts plenty of Gowran Park bets. Notable past winners include 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kicking King. He also won the King George VI Chase in 2004 and 2005.

2011 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Sizing Europe won the race four times between 2011 and 2014. He also won the Irish Champion Hurdle in a glittering career for trainer Henry De Bromhead.

The Galmoy Hurdle was won in successive seasons by Emotional Moment (2005 and 2006) and Presenting Percy (2018 and 2019). 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition won it at the age of 11 in 2010.

The Group 3 Denny Cordell Lavarack Fillies Stakes has been won by some useful horses including Kournakova (2002), Luas Line (2005) and Brooch (2014). The latter went on to win the Group 2 Lanwades Stud Stakes at The Curragh in 2015.

Notable flat racers to win at Gowran Park include 1969 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Levmoss, 2,000 Guineas winners Refuse To Bend (2003) and Henrythenavigator (2008) and Irish Derby winner Trading Leather (2013).

Levmoss won here as a two-year-old and returned a shock 52/1 winner when defeating Park Top at Longchamp.

Gowran Park Horse Racing History

The first meeting at Gowran Park took place in June 1914, with the present race company being formed in 1948. This was the first venue to carry racecourse commentary in Ireland in 1952. It also saw the Tote Jackpot introduced in 1966 and Ireland’s first televised horse race in 1969.

The course opened an impressive new Grandstand in 2003 – the culmination of an extensive development programme supported by Horse Racing Ireland.

Gowran Park was officially classified a Grade 1 course for National Hunt meetings in 2006, reflecting the quality of the races and successful horses at the track.

Gowran Park Racecourse - How to get there

Gowran Park Racecourse is around eight miles east of Kilkenny. A free shuttle bus runs from Kilkenny on race days from Castle Gates. If arriving by car from Kilkenny, take the N10 and turn right onto the R702 and follow signs to Thomastown/Waterford. Car parking is provided opposite the racecourse.

For racegoers arriving from Waterford, take the M9 North before exiting at junction 7 (Paulstown). Gowran racecourse is clearly signposted from the approach to the village.

There are regular train services to Kilkenny Station and Thomastown Station from Waterford and Dublin, with a short taxi ride to the course.