Kilbeggan Racecourse

Kilbeggan is a right-handed, undulating circuit of roughly one mile and one furlong (about nine furlongs) on turf. It is a tight, sharp track with a notably sharp turn after the second-last fence and an uphill run-in of around 300 yards to the finish. The chase course has six fences per circuit and runs outside the tighter hurdles track. The combination of bends, undulations and a strong pace favours handy, speedy, front-running types and track specialists rather than long-striding, out-and-out staying horses.

Racing at Kilbeggan dates back to a first recorded meeting in March 1840. Fixtures were held at various local sites until 1855, then revived from 1879, before racing settled at its present Loughnagore course in 1901, where it has run every year since (bar World War II). The track survived repeated closure threats and financial difficulties through the 20th century, with the local community raising funds to keep it going. A new £1 million pavilion and complex opened in May 1999. It is today a National Hunt (jumps-only) venue.

Kilbeggan is a small, minor National Hunt track with no Grade 1, 2 or 3 races. Its best-known fixture is the Midlands National (Midlands Grand National), a staying handicap chase run in July. As a summer jumps venue, it is known for popular evening meetings rather than for any championship or graded racing, and stages only a handful of fixtures each year.

Kilbeggan Racecourse sits at Loughnagore, just outside the town of Kilbeggan in County Westmeath, in the Irish midlands. It lies close to the M6 Dublin-Galway motorway, roughly an hour from Dublin and about 13 miles from Mullingar, making it easy to reach by road. It is a small, friendly country course with an informal, local atmosphere, best known for its summer evening race meetings.