TrackStats | Loughrea

Image © Healy Racing

Taking place at Dartfield Horse Museum and Heritage Centre, which is set on 350 acres of parkland, Loughrea point-to-point has produced many National Hunt stars over the years such as Brindisi Breeze, Bewleys Berry and King Johns Castle.

Beginning early in the home straight, the runners jump two fences on this section of the course, with the winning post separating the two. Rounding the bottom bend alongside the betting ring, the runners arrive in the back straight, where a total of three fences await them.

The first obstacle comes up quite quickly after the bend, and each of the three fences are evenly spaced along this back straight, with some slight undulations between fences three and five.

After rounding the home bend, the final fence is soon in their sights before hitting the run-in.


Vital Statistics

County: Galway
Fences per circuit: 5
Direction: Right-handed
Top Rider: Derek O’Connor (27 wins since 2000)
Winning Favourites: 3 of 6 at last year’s fixture





The rider’s verdict

I find that Loughrea can be a tricky track to ride and the ground has a big impact on how it rides.

On good ground it is a very fast, sharp track where stamina is not an issue. However, on soft ground it can be a very testing and tough track where plenty of stamina is needed.

It is not a big circuit, as you pass the post four times, so it tends to suit front runners.

Derek O’Connor, 13-time Western champion.


Last year’s rewind

Declan Queally dominated proceedings winning three of the six races on the card beginning in the four-year-old maiden with Olympy De Cerisy. A first runner and winner between the flags for his sire Brametot, he failed to sell when offered at the following month’s Cheltenham sale, but he did go on to finish placed three times in bumpers later that season.

Queally junior successfully returned to the saddle in the sphere when he was aboard Wrong Direction in the open, whilst the stable also provided 22-year-old Dylan Phelan with his second career success when Knockaneleigh Girl won the mares’ maiden.


This time around

Enda Bolger has sent out a winner on this card in six of the last 17 years, two of which came in the five-year-old geldings’ maiden, courtesy of Moyross in 2016 and Different Spot in 2018.

The Limerick handler could add to that in Sunday’s renewal of the Connollys RedMills and Michael Cooney & Sons five-year-old geldings’ maiden as Well Buoy could have his first run for him.

The Well Chosen gelding went close to making a winning debut during the summer, when Harry Kelly sent him out to finish second in a bumper at Wexford. Staying on strongly under Pa King over an extended two miles having been short of room entering into the final two furlongs, he only missed out by half-a-length to the more experienced Ellen Doyle-trained Joe Cooker, who has since been sold to Rebecca Menzies.


Entries: 69 (View all entries here)
First race: 1pm
Eircode: H62 Y564

Race replays will be uploaded to p2p.ie on Monday, for members to view.