A Day at Naas, Visitor Guide

Naas sits in a handy spot. It is right on the M7/N7 corridor that links Dublin with Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny and Waterford, so whichever direction you are coming from, the motorway does most of the work. The full address is Tipper Road, Naas, Co. Kildare, the Eircode is W91 ED00, and for the sat-nav the course gives coordinates of N 53 degrees 13.103, W 6 degrees 38.847. The course phone number is +353 (0)45 897391 if you need to ask anything before you set off.

By road

From Dublin, take the N7 out of the city, follow it onto the R410 and leave at exit 9. The drive is normally about 35 to 40 minutes, traffic depending. Coming up from the south, you join the M7 and again leave at exit 9. From that exit the racecourse is roughly five minutes away and clearly signposted, so you should not need to second-guess the turns. Free car parking is laid on at every meeting. It works on a first come, first served basis and there is no priority or reserved parking, so on the busier days it pays to arrive early and follow the marshals.

By rail

The nearest station is Sallins, properly Sallins and Naas, just outside the town on the Iarnrod Eireann line out of Dublin Heuston. From Heuston the train gets you most of the way in good time. From Sallins itself there is a feeder bus and a taxi rank to cover the last stretch. On weekend race days the racecourse runs its own shuttle bus between Sallins station and the course, operating both before and after racing, which takes the guesswork out of the final connection.

By bus

You have a few options. JJ Kavanagh and Sons run 24 services a day into Naas town from Dublin city centre, with pick-ups at Georges Quay, Heuston Station and the Red Cow, as well as from Dublin Airport. On race days, Dublin Coach runs a direct service to the races from Dublin Airport via the Red Cow Luas, dropping at the Roseville stop in Naas. Bus Eireann route 126 also serves the town from Dublin.

By air

Dublin Airport is the closest airport, about 46km away, which keeps Naas within easy reach for visitors flying in. For those arriving in real style, helicopter landing at the course can be arranged in advance, provided you sort the insurance documentation beforehand.

Whichever way you travel, aim to be there in good time. The racecourse opens 1 hour 30 minutes before the first race, and arriving early means a relaxed start, a look at the runners in the paddock and first pick of a spot in the stands.

Naas keeps things simple. Rather than carving the course into a maze of separate enclosures with different tickets and different rules, it runs principally as a single main enclosure built around the grandstand, with the parade ring, the various bars and the restaurants all within easy reach of one another. For a newcomer that is a relief. You buy your admission, you walk in, and the whole place is open to you, from the paddock to the winning line.

The grandstand

The grandstand is the heart of the place. It was rebuilt in 1997 at a cost of 2.2 million euro and opened by the then Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, and it has been upgraded steadily since. The ground floor holds a cafe, a Tote bar, a Paddy Power betting shop and a Tote betting shop, so your everyday needs are all under one roof. Up on the first floor you will find the Members Lounge and the Panoramic Restaurant, the latter living up to its name with a long view down over the track. Because the circuit is compact and the home straight runs uphill towards the stand, the view from the steps is genuinely complete, you follow the race the whole way round.

The Circle

The newest landmark is The Circle, a striking cylindrical feature building that opened in January 2019 and cost around 1.7 million euro as part of a wider redevelopment that the racecourse says has run to more than 3.2 million euro since 2018. On the ground floor it houses a public bar. On the first floor sits the Goffs Owners and Trainers Lounge, which enjoys 180-degree views across the course. The same redevelopment programme delivered The Post, a self-service restaurant, a cafe, the Members Lounge and upgrades to the grandstand first floor and the private suites.

Members, owners and suites

Members have their own lounge on the grandstand first floor, and the course runs an annual membership that includes a set of reciprocal fixtures at other tracks. Owners and trainers with runners are looked after in the Goffs lounge in The Circle. Private suites are available for groups and corporate days, and the Panoramic Restaurant offers a sit-down option with the racing laid out below. None of this gets in the way of the general racegoer, though. The strength of Naas is that a standard admission ticket still puts you within a few strides of the paddock, the bookmakers and the finish.

Naas publishes accessibility information as part of its Plan Your Day guidance, and the headline points are straightforward. A short phone call before you travel is the single most useful thing you can do, because the course asks racegoers who need accessible parking to ring ahead, and the staff can then make sure your visit runs smoothly.

Accessible parking

Accessible car parking spaces are available, and the course encourages anyone who needs them to phone in advance on 045 897391. Car park staff will help those with a Disabled Person Parking Permit to park close to the entrance, which keeps the walk in as short as possible. Given that the general parking is free and first come, first served, calling ahead is the way to secure a spot near the gate rather than relying on luck on the day.

Accessible toilets

There are disabled, accessible bathrooms in every building on the course. That spread matters at a track like Naas, where you might base yourself in the grandstand, drift across to The Circle for a drink and watch a race from the lawn, because wherever you settle, there is a suitable facility close by.

Assistance dogs

Only guide dogs are allowed inside the enclosure. If you rely on a guide dog you are welcome to bring it in, but other assistance and pet dogs are not permitted, so it is worth planning around that before you set off.

Sensory and neurodiverse provision

Naas has started building out provision for neurodiverse visitors. For Ballyhane Stakes Day in 2025 the course introduced its first dedicated Neurodiverse Day, which featured a wheelchair-accessible Sensory Express Bus, a mobile sensory room fitted with bubble tubes, colour-changing ball pools, water walls and tactile elements. Alongside it were designated quiet-zone suites equipped with ear defenders, sensory toys and relaxing aids. This is tied to a specific day rather than offered at every meeting, so check the fixture before relying on it.

Worth confirming directly

The course's published material does not spell out every detail. Specifics such as step-free routes between all areas, lift provision in each building, dedicated accessible viewing platforms and any formal carer or companion ticket policy are not laid out on the public pages. If any of these matter to your day, the safest course is to ring the racecourse on 045 897391 before you book and confirm exactly what is in place for the meeting you are attending.

A day at the races runs on more than horses, and Naas keeps you fed and watered without sending you on a hike. The food and drink outlets cluster around the grandstand and The Circle, so you are rarely more than a short walk from a bar or a hot meal, and you can keep half an eye on the next race while you queue.

Bars and casual food

The ground floor of the grandstand is the practical hub. It holds a cafe for a coffee, a bite or a warm-up on a cold January afternoon, plus a Tote bar for a drink. Over in The Circle, the ground floor is given over to a public bar, a good spot to gather a group between races. For something more substantial on a self-service basis, The Post is the course's self-service restaurant, added during the recent redevelopment, which suits racegoers who want a proper plate of food without committing to a sit-down booking.

Hospitality and the Panoramic Restaurant

If you want to make more of the day, the Panoramic Restaurant on the first floor of the grandstand offers a sit-down option with a long view over the track and the finish. The course also runs hospitality packages, with both main-course and four-course options available depending on the meeting and your budget. As a rough guide, these have ranged from around 49 euro to 66 euro, though packages and prices change from year to year and by fixture, so confirm the detail when you book. Private suites are available too, which work well for groups, celebrations and corporate days.

Betting on course

Betting is part of the fabric of the day, and there is plenty of choice. Independent on-course bookmakers stand at the rail by the parade ring and in front of the stands, taking cash bets at fixed prices. The Tote operates as well, accepting both card and cash, with a Tote bar and Tote betting shop in the grandstand, alongside a Paddy Power betting shop. One practical note worth remembering, there is no cashpoint on the course. Cashback is available on card at the race day office, but it is wise to bring some cash with you rather than rely on finding an ATM.

A word on the betting itself. None of it is a route to guaranteed profit. Backing the favourite in every race, for instance, loses money to the starting price over time, and no staking method changes that. Treat your stake as part of the cost of an enjoyable day rather than an investment, and you will not go far wrong.

Because Naas does not run a single sprawling festival, choosing your day is half the fun. Each signature meeting has its own character, from a frosty Grade 1 hurdle morning in January to a sun-warmed family race day in August. Here is how the calendar breaks down.

January, Lawlor's of Naas Grade 1 day

This is the flagship jumps fixture and the one to circle if you love National Hunt racing. The centrepiece is the Grade 1 Lawlor's of Naas Novice Hurdle, registered as the Slaney Novice Hurdle and run as the Ballymore Novice Hurdle from 2026, over about 2 miles 4 furlongs. It is the first Grade 1 of the Irish jumps year and a recognised Cheltenham trial, especially for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, where Envoi Allen in 2020 and Bob Olinger in 2021 went on to complete the double. The roll of honour is heavy with future stars: Rule The World, who later won the 2016 Aintree Grand National, Death Duty, Battleoverdoyen, Champ Kiely, Readin Tommy Wrong, The Yellow Clay and 2026 winner I'll Sort That. Willie Mullins, with at least nine wins, and Gordon Elliott have shared the spoils since the race became a Grade 1 in 2015. The Grade 3 Limestone Lad Hurdle supports the card, and there is a Best Dressed competition to brighten the winter day.

February, Cheltenham trials day

A second strong jumps fixture, geared to the Cheltenham Festival pointers. It features the Grade 2 Johnstown Novice Hurdle, won in the past by the future Champion Hurdler Annie Power, alongside the Grade 3 Newlands Chase and the Nas Na Riogh Novice Handicap Chase. If you want serious form before March, this is the day.

Spring, Royal Ascot Trials Day

For Flat fans, the May highlight is Royal Ascot Trials Day, run with a Family Fun Day alongside it. The card carries the Group 3 Goffs Lacken Stakes, a key Commonwealth Cup pointer won by the likes of So Perfect, The Antarctic and Charles Darwin, and the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes, whose alumnae read like a who's who of top fillies, Alpha Centauri, Meditate, Porta Fortuna, Fairy Godmother and Lady Iman among them. The Listed Woodlands and Owenstown Stud Stakes and the Listed Naas Oaks Trial fill out a card that has launched many a Royal Ascot winner and has been shown live on terrestrial television.

June, Blue Wind Stakes day

The Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes, now run in late June and a recognised Oaks pointer for three-year-old fillies, anchors the early-summer Flat programme. Pleascach, later an Irish 1,000 Guineas and Yorkshire Oaks winner, took it in 2015, and Tarnawa won it for Dermot Weld in 2019.

August, Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes day

If you want the biggest crowd and the warmest atmosphere, this is the day. The Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes is Naas's richest fixture, a 300,000 euro two-year-old race run on the August Bank Holiday Monday, with family activities laid on and, since 2025, dedicated sensory and neurodiverse provision. A free, sponsor-funded gate in 2023 produced close to a 100% jump in attendance, which tells you how much pull the day has.

The good news for anyone who frets about racecourse dress codes is that Naas does not impose one. There is no formal requirement to dress up, and the course's own advice is refreshingly practical: dress for the weather. That single instruction will serve you better here than any rule about jackets and ties, because the right outfit at Naas depends far more on the season than on any etiquette.

Dress for the season

This is a country course in the Irish midlands, and the weather sets the tone. For the January and February jumps fixtures, expect cold and very possibly wet ground underfoot, since Naas can ride soft to heavy through the winter. Warm, waterproof layers and sturdy boots are the sensible choice. You will be on your feet outdoors for much of the afternoon, and being properly wrapped up is the difference between enjoying the racing and counting down to the last.

For the spring and summer Flat meetings, and especially the August Ballyhane day, you can dress lighter and brighter. These are family-friendly days in warmer weather, and many racegoers take the chance to make an effort, but comfort still matters. Whatever the forecast, footwear is the thing people most often get wrong. There is grass and lawn between the stands and the rail, so heels and delicate shoes struggle, particularly after rain.

Best Dressed competitions

If you do fancy dressing up, there is a reason to. The flagship January Grade 1 day runs a Best Dressed competition, and the style stakes lift on the bigger fixtures generally. So while nothing obliges you to put on your finery, a smart outfit is welcome and, on the right day, might catch a judge's eye. The simple summary is this: dress for the weather first, dress for the occasion second, and pick your shoes with the grass in mind.

Cannot make it to Co. Kildare, or want to follow a Naas runner from the sofa? The picture is straightforward, because Irish racing's broadcast arrangements are settled across the board.

Racing TV is the home

Naas, like all 26 Irish racecourses, has its day-to-day racing shown on Racing TV, the subscription channel owned by Racecourse Media Group. All 26 Irish tracks signed up to a five-year deal running from 2024 to the end of 2029, worth 47 million euro a year to Irish racing, which keeps every Irish fixture on Racing TV throughout that period. The practical point for viewers is that Naas is a Racing TV course, not a Sky Sports Racing course. Sky Sports Racing carries the Arena Racing Company's British tracks, so you will not find Naas there. Racing TV's home coverage sits behind a subscription, and dedicated single-meeting feeds are available through Racing TV Extra if you want to follow one card in full.

Terrestrial coverage of the big days

A handful of the biggest Irish race days reach free-to-air television. In Ireland, RTE covers the major fixtures, and Naas's Royal Ascot Trials Day has been broadcast live on ITV in Britain and TG4 in Ireland. So for the marquee Flat trials in spring you may well catch the racing without a subscription, though for the routine meetings and the winter jumps cards, Racing TV is the reliable route.

Streaming and following the results

Beyond the dedicated channels, many bookmakers carry integrated live streams of Irish racing for account holders, which is another way to watch the action. If you simply want to keep up with the results and the form rather than the live pictures, the usual services all cover Naas: the Racing Post, Sky Sports Racing, At The Races, Sporting Life and Horse Racing Ireland's own goracing.ie. Between them you can follow every race, check the going and read the form whether or not you have a subscription.

To sum up, subscribe to Racing TV for the everyday coverage, watch for RTE, ITV or TG4 on the biggest days, lean on a bookmaker stream if you have an account, and use the results services to keep on top of the form.

A little planning makes a Naas day run smoothly. Here are the things worth knowing before you go, drawn from how the course actually works on the ground.

Practical tips for a first visit

• Arrive early. The gates open 1 hour 30 minutes before the first race. With free parking on a first come, first served basis and no reserved spaces, getting there early means an easier park and a better spot in the stands.
• Bring cash. There is no cashpoint on the course. You can get cashback on card at the race day office, but having notes for the on-course bookmakers and the Tote saves a queue.
• Pick up a race card. Cards are sold for 4 euro and are worth it for a first-timer, helping you follow the runners, the form and the order of play.
• Hire binoculars. Even though the compact track gives you a full view, binoculars sharpen the action at the far side. They can be hired or bought from a stall opposite the parade ring.
• Use the paddock. Naas's single-enclosure layout puts the parade ring within easy reach. Watching the horses walk round before a race is part of the experience and a good habit before you bet.
• Bet for fun, not profit. On-course bookmakers and the Tote both operate, by card and cash. Remember that no betting system guarantees a return. Backing favourites blindly loses to the starting price over time, so set a budget and enjoy the day.

What is nearby

Naas is the county town of Kildare, in the heart of Thoroughbred County, so there is plenty around it. For somewhere to stay, local hotels include Lawlor's of Naas in the town centre, the Osprey Hotel, Naas Court Hotel, Killashee Hotel and the historic Barberstown Castle.

The area is made for a racing break. The Curragh is about 20 minutes' drive away, and Punchestown is close by too, so it is easy to string two or three tracks together over a weekend. Away from the racing, the Irish National Stud and its Japanese Gardens at Tully near Kildare town make a popular day out, a fitting stop in a county that breeds and trains so many of the horses you will see on the track. Build a visit to Naas around one of its signature days, add a nearby course or the National Stud, and you have the makings of a proper Kildare racing trip.