Irish Racing

[scanman]

Maybe the european DTer's can assist. I'm heading out on an Irish racing holiday this Thursday. I'll be at the following meetings:

8/24 Tralee
8/26 Ballinobe
8/28 Sligo
8/29 Bellewstown
9/01 Down Royal
9/02 Curragh
9/03 Roscommon
9/05 Clonmel
9/06 Laytown
9/07 Kilbeggan
9/09 Cork
9/10 Galway

Are there any trainers or jocks that I should pay close attention to? If you are familiar with any of the racecourses, do you know of any biases? And, is there anything in general you would advise concerning my visit?

Thanks in advance.

[viscount26]

Originally Posted by scanman

Maybe the european DTer's can assist. I'm heading out on an Irish racing holiday this Thursday. I'll be at the following meetings:

8/24 Tralee
8/26 Ballinobe
8/28 Sligo
8/29 Bellewstown
9/01 Down Royal
9/02 Curragh
9/03 Roscommon
9/05 Clonmel
9/06 Laytown
9/07 Kilbeggan
9/09 Cork
9/10 Galway

Are there any trainers or jocks that I should pay close attention to? If you are familiar with any of the racecourses, do you know of any biases? And, is there anything in general you would advise concerning my visit?

Thanks in advance.

Drink lots of Guiness

[scanman]

Thanks, but I'm more of a "spirits" drinker. Do plan to visit the Bushmills distillery the day before Down Royal.

[brockguy]

Dont bet anything over 10-1.. If you stay in the betting ring and look out for what big bets are being placed, you wont go far wrong.

Its funny that while I look at your dates, your missing the 8th of September for the Irish Champion Stakes which usually is a cracker.

Ill try to think of other stuff but you'll have grand craic wherever you go, especially the night before in local pubs where you'll probably get a fair few "tips" from randomers with too much Guinness in them..

[scanman]

Originally Posted by brockguy

Dont bet anything over 10-1.. If you stay in the betting ring and look out for what big bets are being placed, you wont go far wrong.

Its funny that while I look at your dates, your missing the 8th of September for the Irish Champion Stakes which usually is a cracker.

Ill try to think of other stuff but you'll have grand craic wherever you go, especially the night before in local pubs where you'll probably get a fair few "tips" from randomers with too much Guinness in them..

Thanks for the advice.

Playing golf at Lahinch on the 8th. My brothers will be with me and it's their last day before heading back. But if you like something in particular, let me know and I'll get the bet down at one of the shops.

Yeah, looking forward to it, should be great fun. Been to Leopardstown (seen Itsabraq win the AIG European Hurdle) and Tipperary. The Irish racecourses have been good to me thus far, hopefully the trend will continue.

[Rileyoriley]

I'm jealous.

Have a great time!

[NoChanceToDance]

The best tip i can give you at the moment is to pack a good rain coat!!!

The state of the ground will probably be somewhat of a shock to you, it is soft nearly everywhere in England and Ireland at the moment, so make sure you find horses with soft ground form.

Regarding trainers and jockeys to follow:

The must ofcourse is Aidan O'Brien and Kieren Fallon (both masters at what they do)

Declan Mcdonogh (spelling?) is also a very good jockey and he will give all his mounts the best possible ride.

Will you be attending any National Hunt meetings? if so, follow any horse trained, owned or ridden by someone with the surname Mullins or Walsh

Also, if you see any horses trained by a certain A J Martin........... watch out i will leave Brockguy to explain why.

[scanman]

Originally Posted by Rileyoriley

I'm jealous.

Have a great time!

Thanks. Been planning this one for about two years.

[Rileyoriley]

Originally Posted by scanman

Thanks. Been planning this one for about two years.

Let me know how you like it. I've been looking at the "horseracing" vacations in Europe and Australia.

[scanman]

Originally Posted by NoChanceToDance

The best tip i can give you at the moment is to pack a good rain coat!!!

The state of the ground will probably be somewhat of a shock to you, it is soft nearly everywhere in England and Ireland at the moment, so make sure you find horses with soft ground form.

Regarding trainers and jockeys to follow:

The must ofcourse is Aidan O'Brien and Kieren Fallon (both masters at what they do)

Declan Mcdonogh (spelling?) is also a very good jockey and he will give all his mounts the best possible ride.

Will you be attending any National Hunt meetings? if so, follow any horse trained, owned or ridden by someone with the surname Mullins or Walsh

Also, if you see any horses trained by a certain A J Martin........... watch out i will leave Brockguy to explain why.

Thanks. I haven't been following the weather reports. I'll try to bring some Florida sunshine and heat with me. I'll be playing a bit of golf and will have a rain suit, so that will take care of any of the wet stuff.

Good to see that Fallon is riding again. I had the chance to meet him at Nottingham racecourse just before I moved back to the states. I'll keep my eye out for anything McDonogh rides.

Yeah, I will attend NH meetings at Ballinrobe, Kilbeggan and Cork. Though most of the meetings are mixed with a couple of hurdle races carded.

[scanman]

Originally Posted by Rileyoriley

Let me know how you like it. I've been looking at the "horseracing" vacations in Europe and Australia.

Will do. In 2005 (our winter, their summer), I did 15 racecourses in 15 days in New South Wales, Australia. I can PM the itinerary if you like.

[brockguy]

I think the Derby is the only time they segregate the Curragh, every other time, you can go anywhere. It can be a depressing place on a cold wet and usually windy day.


by the way,what NoChance was alluding to, handicap races in ireland are a bit of a mish mosh as some horses have absolutely zero form but are obviously laid out for a certain race and their odds reflect that. A J Martin and to a lesser extent Christy Roche are notorious for it. Its the real gangster part of the game here and its basically cheating but no-one really moans as they feel that the lads have performed a good old fashioned coup against the bad bookies.

[scanman]

Originally Posted by Cardus

I'll resend my PM to you about the Curragh if you'd like. As I wrote previously, I would have to see the Curragh on a non-Irish Derby Day to get a genuine sense of the place.

If the Champagne Bar is open on the "Clubhouse" side, try there for a refreshment.

The betting ring separates the Clubhouse from the Grandstand. You'll find what you're looking for there.

Thanks. I still have your PM as a reference. Hopefully, the weather will be a little better for my day.

[scanman]

Originally Posted by brockguy

I think the Derby is the only time they segregate the Curragh, every other time, you can go anywhere. It can be a depressing place on a cold wet and usually windy day.


by the way,what NoChance was alluding to, handicap races in ireland are a bit of a mish mosh as some horses have absolutely zero form but are obviously laid out for a certain race and their odds reflect that. A J Martin and to a lesser extent Christy Roche are notorious for it. Its the real gangster part of the game here and its basically cheating but no-one really moans as they feel that the lads have performed a good old fashioned coup against the bad bookies.

Okay, good to know, will definitely keep an eye out. Though, what type of market move would indicate that they have a "live" horse in?

[viscount26]

Originally Posted by scanman

Okay, good to know, will definitely keep an eye out. Though, what type of market move would indicate that they have a "live" horse in?

Watch the bookmakers boards. If you see movement on a certain horse, move quickly down the line, and see if someone is slow to change their boards. It worked for me at Ascot in the 90's. I saw a little old Irish Guy, put a 200 pound bet on a 40'1 shot in the 2mile Ascot Cup. The 5 bookies close by, all cut their price to 25/1. I hooved it about 50 feet down the rail and found a bookie who still had it at 40's Got the price and the horse won by 6 lengths

[scanman]

Originally Posted by viscount26

Watch the bookmakers boards. If you see movement on a certain horse, move quickly down the line, and see if someone is slow to change their boards. It worked for me at Ascot in the 90's. I saw a little old Irish Guy, put a 200 pound bet on a 40'1 shot in the 2mile Ascot Cup. The 5 bookies close by, all cut their price to 25/1. I hooved it about 50 feet down the rail and found a bookie who still had it at 40's Got the price and the horse won by 6 lengths

Yeah, that's one of the beauties of Irish/British racing, the opportunity to shop for odds.

Thanks, but I was trying to get a better indication of these two trainers, if there is a trend.

[viscount26]

Originally Posted by scanman

Yeah, that's one of the beauties of Irish/British racing, the opportunity to shop for odds.

Thanks, but I was trying to get a better indication of these two trainers, if there is a trend.

No problem. I'll leave this one for the Irish Boys. Your'e up Brockman

[brockguy]

usually the bookies take no chances and price up alot of say Martin's horses quite low in handicaps, but alot of times, the guys dont care about the price so the money keeps pouring in and the price goes down again. The one thing I can say about Martin is that he usually puts up one of the top guys like Carberry or Walsh or Berry on the flat when theres a gamble. if he has someone else, its sometimes a signal.

On another note, Tralee is hopping at the moment with the Rose Of Tralee festival on (Im watching it at the mo) so theres a big crowd down there. Unfortunately, some people thought it wasnt exciting enough and thought what a better way to liven things up than create a bomb hoax at Tralee racecourse today. http://www.rte.ie/sport/racing/2007/0821/tralee1.html

[scanman]

Originally Posted by brockguy

usually the bookies take no chances and price up alot of say Martin's horses quite low in handicaps, but alot of times, the guys dont care about the price so the money keeps pouring in and the price goes down again. The one thing I can say about Martin is that he usually puts up one of the top guys like Carberry or Walsh or Berry on the flat when theres a gamble. if he has someone else, its sometimes a signal.

On another note, Tralee is hopping at the moment with the Rose Of Tralee festival on (Im watching it at the mo) so theres a big crowd down there. Unfortunately, some people thought it wasnt exciting enough and thought what a better way to liven things up than create a bomb hoax at Tralee racecourse today. http://www.rte.ie/sport/racing/2007/0821/tralee1.html

Brockguy, excellent insight and will note who he puts up on his horses.

I hear that the Rose Of Tralee festival is blast. I hope to take in some of the celebrations after racing. Hopefully, the moron that called in the bomb hoax got it out of his system and there won't be anymore foolishness during the rest of the meeting.

Let me know if you be at any of the meetings that I'll be attending. If so, the pints are on me. Thanks again.

[brockguy]

thanks for the offer but I'm leaving for Oz though on Thursday.. You'll have a blast I'm sure. You'll have to come back here and tell everyone how it was. Just like many people campaigning for the Breeders Cup to move outside of North America, I should start a campaign to get a Derby Trail get-together outside of NA..