Racecourse Guide

Bellewstown
Flat

Hill of Crockafotha, County Meath · 37km north of Dublin, above Drogheda

⬤ Flat Turf
Turf
Left-Handed
Sharp & Cambered
Hilltop

Round Course

~1m1f sharp left-handed oval

Sprint Course

5f chute — a dogleg, not straight

Direction

Left-handed

Surface

Turf

Shape

Sharp undulating, road crossings

Key Meeting

July Festival 3 evenings

Track Breakdown

Course Overview

Track Character

Bellewstown is what Irish racing looks like with all the corporate varnish removed: a sharp, undulating, left-handed oval of about a mile and a furlong on top of the Hill of Crockafotha, with the Mournes and the Irish Sea on the horizon, picnics on the grass, and nine evening racedays a year — the official 2026 list spreads them across April, July, August, September and October, a quiet expansion from the old five-day, high-summer-only calendar. Racing has been recorded on this hill since August 1726; 2026 is the 300th anniversary, with a new weigh room and the “1726 Restaurant” built to mark it.

The Flat track is the inside line of the hill, and it is a genuine balance examination: tight cambered turns, rolling gradients, actual road crossings under the turf, and a three-furlong home straight whose last two furlongs climb to the line. Five-furlong races start from a chute and run a dogleg — never a truly straight five — which is the geometric quirk behind this course’s liveliest data dispute (below). There is no black type here of any kind: every race is a maiden, handicap, claimer or auction race, mostly at sub-Pattern level, which is exactly why the July crowds see competitive, bettable racing rather than processions.

The July festival — Thursday and Friday evenings on the Flat before Saturday’s hurdles card — is the year’s centrepiece, its 2025 features including the €20,000 Indaver Ireland Handicap over five furlongs and €25,000 EBF median auction maidens over a mile. An April fixture carries the €50,000 QuinnBet Spring Fillies Handicap, the biggest Flat pot of the year. The going is famously reliable for summer racing — an actively watered course that rarely gets properly firm — though the September 2023 mid-card abandonment in heavy rain shows the limits of any reputation.

“Bellewstown is a track that really requires a balanced horse with pace. The cambers, undulations, tight turns and road crossings can all contribute to unbalancing a horse and having a horse that has the balance to deal with all that and hold their position is crucial. Because of all those factors, being up on the pace can be a big help to a horse that is handling the challenges of the track. In terms of draw, the bends are obviously tight and you wouldn’t want to be slung wide on them, but there are good long straights which gives a good chance to get a slot. The sprint track is far from straightforward for horses, it is always on the turn and a low draw is certainly a help on firmer ground. It is quite difficult to make up ground on the sprint track, as it all happens very fast and there are two separate road crossings which can unbalance horses. They do a particularly good job with the track there as no matter how dry the summer gets, they always water very efficiently and produce a safe surface.”
— Mick Kinane, former champion Irish Flat jockey — At The Races

Kinane’s framing — balance first, pace second, draw third — is the right order of operations for Bellewstown. But note what his sprint-course line just did: it planted a rider’s flag on the LOW side of a draw question that the published data genuinely cannot settle. The full picture, dispute included, is below — read it before backing anything on stall position at five furlongs here.

Course Facts

Circuit ~1m1f, left-handed, sharp and undulating on the Hill of Crockafotha — one outlier source says 1m2f
Sprints 5f from a chute, always on the turn — a dogleg with two road crossings, per the man who rode it
Finish Three-furlong straight, the final two furlongs uphill
Grade No Listed, Group or black-type races — handicaps, maidens and auction races throughout
Season Nine racedays in 2026: April, the three-day July festival, August, September and October — all the big cards are evening fixtures

The Meetings

July Festival Thu–Sat evenings (2–4 July 2026); Thursday + Friday are the Flat cards
Features Indaver Ireland Handicap (5f, €20,000) and €25,000 EBF median auction maidens in 2025
April QuinnBet Spring Fillies Handicap — €50,000, the year’s biggest Flat pot
Character Picnic-on-the-hill, family crowds in July/August; September rides quieter

Key Betting Angles

5f pace Front-runners win at nearly 3× the rate of prominent racers; hold-ups strike at just 2.08% (Geegeez)
Colin Keane Tops the five-season book: 27 wins from 137 rides at 20%
Joseph O’Brien 27% over five seasons — and 6 from 14 in 2024 alone; windows matter
Ger Lyons Named the course’s most successful Flat yard; 25–30% depending on the sample

Draw Analysis

Draw Bias by Distance

Bellewstown’s five-furlong draw is this guide series’ clearest live dispute — the sources split into two camps over the same distance, citing the same dogleg. The high camp is the numeric one: Geegeez and drawbias.com carry identical figures (treat them as one dataset shown twice) of low-draw PRB 0.46 against high-draw 0.55, every metric improving from low to middle to high, with the mechanism that “horses drawn on the inside actually have to cover more ground” around the dogleg; two affiliate guides echo the high verdict. The low camp answers with Timeform — “low numbers showing an edge in five-furlong and mile races” — and a guide calling a low draw “absolutely crucial,” reading the same dogleg the opposite way. And the rider splits it by conditions: Kinane’s view above is that low is “certainly a help on firmer ground.” No source dates its sample, so recency can’t break the tie. At a mile the fog lifts: low is favoured by both camps (PRB 0.53 low / 0.51 middle / 0.46 high, and Timeform concurring), and beyond that the bias fades into the long straights.

5f (dogleg chute)

Disputed — Genuinely Split

High camp: PRB 0.55-vs-0.46 favouring high, dogleg logic attached. Low camp: Timeform’s low edge plus a “low is crucial” read — and Kinane says low on firmer ground. Undated samples both sides; treat any confident 5f draw claim here as overconfident.

Low — Consensus

The one agreed read: PRB runs 0.53 low / 0.51 middle / 0.46 high, win and place rates both dropping as the draw rises, and Timeform’s low-edge note covers the mile too.

Beyond 1m

Fades Out

The bias “diminishes due to long straight sections” at longer trips — qualitative only, no numbers published. Balance and stamina up the hill decide these races, not the stalls.

Any trip — conditions

Watch the Going

Kinane’s conditional is the only going-linked draw read on record here: the low-draw help at 5f is a firmer-ground effect in his telling. The course waters efficiently, so genuinely fast ground is rarer than the season suggests.

Sources: the Geegeez/drawbias.com PRB dataset (high camp), Timeform and one independent guide (low camp), and Mick Kinane’s rider view via At The Races (low, on firmer ground) — an authentic three-way split at 5f, agreement at 1m. No stalls-level draw pull has been run for this page yet; quantified tables will follow.

Statistics · Since 2010

Top Trainers & Jockeys

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Lyons, G M	132	33	25.00%	69	52.27%	1.11	-1.51
2 O’Brien, Joseph Patrick	137	31	22.63%	61	44.53%	0.99	-37.38
3 Harrington, Mrs John	120	21	17.50%	50	41.67%	0.96	-21.32
4 Mulvany, Michael	131	15	11.45%	35	26.72%	1.04	-22.62
5 McConnell, John C	269	14	5.20%	46	17.10%	0.65	-179.25
6 McCourt, T G	190	14	7.37%	41	21.58%	0.80	+34.75
7 McGuinness, Adrian	182	14	7.69%	42	23.08%	0.76	-39.12
8 McCreery, W	94	14	14.89%	32	34.04%	1.18	-7.37
9 Rogers, H	124	12	9.68%	41	33.06%	0.96	-25.71
10 Murtagh, J P	75	12	16.00%	31	41.33%	0.90	-15.37
11 Elliott, Gordon	72	12	16.67%	23	31.94%	1.21	+20.74
12 O’Brien, A P	49	12	24.49%	28	57.14%	0.80	-9.27
13 Hogan, Denis Gerard	92	8	8.70%	23	25.00%	0.68	-43.87
14 Halford, M	53	8	15.09%	15	28.30%	0.95	-19.12
15 Martin, A J	42	8	19.05%	12	28.57%	1.24	-5.20
16 Condon, K J	38	8	21.05%	16	42.11%	1.58	+27.83
17 Cromwell, Gavin Patrick	105	7	6.67%	39	37.14%	0.47	-63.75
18 Meade, Noel	84	7	8.33%	33	39.29%	0.54	-63.48
19 McAuley, James	70	7	10.00%	24	34.29%	1.03	+17.10
20 Prendergast, Kevin	40	7	17.50%	13	32.50%	1.30	+36.50

Bellewstown Flat, since 2010. G M Lyons leads the page on volume (33 wins from 132, 25.0% SR, A/E 1.11), beating the market too. The real value signals are Kevin Prendergast (A/E 1.30, +£36.50), K J Condon (A/E 1.58, +£27.83) and Gordon Elliott (A/E 1.21, +£20.74). Oppose the over-bet Gavin Patrick Cromwell (A/E 0.47), Noel Meade (A/E 0.54) and John C McConnell (A/E 0.65).

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Keane, C T	254	48	18.90%	107	42.13%	1.01	-58.91
2 Foley, Shane	220	33	15.00%	83	37.73%	1.02	-14.69
3 Hayes, C D	237	22	9.28%	69	29.11%	0.89	-43.67
4 McDonogh, D P	135	20	14.81%	48	35.56%	1.01	+0.46
5 Carroll, G F	188	18	9.57%	56	29.79%	0.73	-93.12
6 Lee, W J	140	16	11.43%	47	33.57%	0.82	-31.92
7 Lordan, W M	133	12	9.02%	42	31.58%	0.54	-52.15
8 McMonagle, Dylan B	104	12	11.54%	42	40.38%	0.75	-49.23
9 Heffernan, J A	141	11	7.80%	28	19.86%	0.91	-55.75
10 Whelan, R P	119	10	8.40%	35	29.41%	0.76	-13.42
11 Smullen, P J	71	10	14.08%	28	39.44%	0.74	-15.91
12 Slattery, A J	72	9	12.50%	25	34.72%	1.09	+1.39
13 Ryan, Gavin	66	9	13.64%	24	36.36%	1.32	+13.75
14 Roche, L F	120	8	6.67%	25	20.83%	0.75	-16.50
15 Coen, Ben M	88	8	9.09%	21	23.86%	0.64	-46.00
16 Joyce, Wesley	66	8	12.12%	20	30.30%	1.25	+7.88
17 O’Brien, Donnacha	25	8	32.00%	15	60.00%	1.14	-1.22
18 Whearty, R	84	7	8.33%	18	21.43%	0.85	-14.00
19 Berry, F M	51	7	13.73%	16	31.37%	0.75	-20.40
20 Cleary, R P	170	6	3.53%	28	16.47%	0.54	-109.17

Bellewstown Flat, since 2010. C T Keane leads the riders on volume (48 wins from 254, 18.9% SR, A/E 1.01). The real value signals are Gavin Ryan (A/E 1.32, +£13.75) and Wesley Joyce (A/E 1.25, +£7.88). Oppose the over-bet W M Lordan (A/E 0.54), R P Cleary (A/E 0.54) and Ben M Coen (A/E 0.64).

Sire Statistics · Since 2010

Top Sires

A/E above 1.0 indicates market underestimation.

Sire	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Galileo (IRE)	58	15	25.86%	26	44.83%	1.08	-10.89
2 Holy Roman Emperor (IRE)	64	11	17.19%	23	35.94%	1.43	+15.46
3 Dandy Man (IRE)	103	9	8.74%	25	24.27%	0.80	-45.45
4 Elzaam (AUS)	51	9	17.65%	13	25.49%	1.73	+34.10
5 Bungle Inthejungle	36	9	25.00%	15	41.67%	2.03	+37.33
6 Footstepsinthesand	83	8	9.64%	23	27.71%	0.73	-56.50
7 Equiano (FR)	43	8	18.60%	14	32.56%	1.60	-1.34
8 Invincible Spirit (IRE)	54	6	11.11%	12	22.22%	0.96	-20.37
9 Camacho	49	6	12.24%	13	26.53%	1.27	+21.50
10 Big Bad Bob (IRE)	46	6	13.04%	15	32.61%	0.78	-18.44
11 Exceed And Excel (AUS)	43	6	13.95%	15	34.88%	1.19	+2.50
12 Starspangledbanner (AUS)	38	6	15.79%	13	34.21%	0.97	-3.34
13 Kodiac	88	5	5.68%	19	21.59%	0.65	-60.92
14 Zoffany (IRE)	59	5	8.47%	17	28.81%	0.76	-28.50
15 Lawman (FR)	46	5	10.87%	12	26.09%	1.01	-4.25
16 Mastercraftsman (IRE)	44	5	11.36%	14	31.82%	0.88	+21.00
17 Alhebayeb (IRE)	35	5	14.29%	9	25.71%	1.74	+6.50
18 Dylan Thomas (IRE)	28	5	17.86%	9	32.14%	1.35	+3.50
19 Choisir (AUS)	25	5	20.00%	12	48.00%	1.42	+5.25
20 Inns Of Court (IRE)	19	5	26.32%	8	42.11%	1.98	+14.98

Bellewstown Flat, since 2010. Galileo (IRE) tops the sire list (15 wins from 58, 25.9% SR, A/E 1.08), beating the market too. The real value signals are Bungle Inthejungle (A/E 2.03, +£37.33), Elzaam (AUS) (A/E 1.73, +£34.10) and Camacho (A/E 1.27, +£21.50). A small-sample standout to flag: Inns Of Court (IRE) (A/E 1.98). Oppose the over-bet Kodiac (A/E 0.65), Footstepsinthesand (A/E 0.73) and Zoffany (IRE) (A/E 0.76).

Insider Knowledge

Betting Tips for Bellewstown Flat Turf

⚖

Refuse the 5f draw argument

Half the published sources say high, half say low, over the same dogleg, with no dates attached to either sample. When a market moves on “the Bellewstown 5f draw,” that mover knows something the public record doesn’t — or, more likely, read only one camp. Spend your edge elsewhere on the card.

📍

Front-runners own the sprint course

The pace read at 5f is NOT disputed: front-runners win at almost three times the rate of prominent racers, and hold-up horses strike at 2.08%. On a dogleg where Kinane says “it all happens very fast,” the horse that breaks and travels is the one betting on.

⛰

Balance is the entry requirement

Cambers, undulations, tight turns and two road crossings on the sprint track — the rider’s checklist reads like an agility trial. Horses with proven form at sharp, cambered tracks translate here; big-actioned gallopers from galloping tracks routinely don’t.

📊

Keane, and the 24% twins

Colin Keane leads the riders’ book over five seasons (27 from 137, 20%) and tops the undated career count too. Behind him, Declan McDonogh and Gary Carroll sit on identical 24% course strike rates in two separate sources — a rare point of clean agreement in Bellewstown’s stats.

🎯

The O’Brien-window trap — and the Lyons constant

Joseph O’Brien’s Bellewstown rate reads 43% (2024 alone), 27% (five seasons) or 33% (undated) depending on the source — all real, all different windows. Ger Lyons is steadier: named the course’s most successful Flat trainer outright, at 25–30% across every sample found.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Presenting either side of the 5f draw dispute as settled. The published data genuinely splits high-vs-low over the same distance — any Bellewstown sprint-draw “rule” you’ve seen quoted picked one camp and ignored the other.
Expecting black type — there is none. No Listed, Group or Graded race has a home at Bellewstown; the €50,000 QuinnBet Spring Fillies Handicap in April is the biggest Flat purse of the year.
Working from the old calendar. “Five days in July and August” describes the pre-2022 fixture list; the official 2026 list is nine racedays across five months, April to October.
Confusing Bellewstown with Laytown. Both are Co. Meath summer curiosities, but Laytown is the one-day beach meeting on the strand; Bellewstown is a permanent hilltop turf circuit racing nine times a year.

Common Questions

Bellewstown (Flat) Racecourse FAQs

Is there a draw bias at Bellewstown?

At one mile, yes — low draws are favoured, and unusually every source agrees (PRB 0.53 low against 0.46 high, with Timeform concurring). At five furlongs the record genuinely splits: one camp’s data says high draws outperform (PRB 0.55 vs 0.46, blaming the dogleg for making inside horses cover more ground), while Timeform and another guide say low is the edge — and Mick Kinane’s rider view backs low specifically on firmer ground. No sample is dated, so nothing can break the tie. Beyond a mile the bias fades into the long straights.

What are the big races at Bellewstown?

Bellewstown carries no black type at all — no Listed, Group or Graded races — so its features are valuable handicaps. The biggest Flat pot is April’s €50,000 QuinnBet Spring Fillies Handicap; the July festival’s Flat cards featured the €20,000 Indaver Ireland Handicap over 5f and €25,000 EBF median auction maidens over a mile in 2025; and the Saturday jumps feature, the €60,000 QuinnBet Bellewstown Hurdle, carries free Galway Hurdle entry for the winner. Competitive, winnable, sub-Pattern racing is the entire identity.

What kind of track is Bellewstown?

A sharp, undulating, left-handed hilltop oval of about a mile and one furlong, with cambered tight turns, genuine road crossings and a three-furlong straight whose last two furlongs climb to the line. Five-furlong races run a dogleg from a chute — never truly straight. Kinane’s summary is the definitive one: it “really requires a balanced horse with pace,” and being up on the pace is a big help to any horse handling the track’s challenges. The views — Mournes one way, Irish Sea the other — are the best of any Irish course.

Which trainers and jockeys win at Bellewstown?

Colin Keane heads the riders however you count it (27 wins from 137 over five seasons; the career count agrees he leads), with Declan McDonogh and Gary Carroll both on 24% strike rates in two separate sources. Ger Lyons is named the most successful Flat yard outright at 25–30% across samples; Joseph O’Brien’s figure swings from 27% (five seasons) to 43% (2024 alone) purely on the window used; and 2024’s festival threw up small-yard sharpshooters too — Matthew Smith and Michael Grassick each went 2-from-3 on the week. On this course, check the window before trusting any percentage.

When does Bellewstown race and what’s it like to go?

Nine days in 2026: an April fixture, the three-day July festival (Thursday 2 – Saturday 4 July, all evening cards), two days in August, and dates in September and October. It’s Ireland’s picnic meeting — rugs on the hill, family crowds, the smell of cut hay, views to the Mournes and the sea — with the 300th-anniversary celebrations, a new weigh room and the “1726 Restaurant” marking 2026. The September fixture is the quiet, local one if you want the track without the crowds. It’s 37km north of Dublin off the M1 (exit 7 at Julianstown), with Gormanstown the nearest rail station and Drogheda the nearest main one.

Explore

Nearby Tracks

Navan

Meath’s fair galloping test, half an hour west.

Laytown

The beach races — one day a year on the strand.

Fairyhouse

The dual-code Meath neighbour.

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