Racecourse Guide

Roscommon
Flat

Racecourse Road, Lenabane, Roscommon town · Connacht’s Monday-and-Tuesday summer track

⬤ Flat Turf
Turf
Right-Handed
Speed Track
Evening Racing

Round Course

~1m2f right-handed

Run-in

~3½f one source says 3f

Direction

Right-handed

Surface

Turf incline to the post

Character

Sharp a speed track

Key Race

Lenebane Stakes Listed · July

Also at Roscommon

Roscommon also stages National Hunt racing. Read the National Hunt racecourse guide →

Track Breakdown

What is Roscommon racecourse like?

Track Character

Roscommon’s Flat racing is Monday-and-Tuesday evening racing — part of a ten-fixture May-to-October season (ignore the “nine meetings, May to September” line still circulating; the dated 2025 and 2026 lists both say ten, into October) at a track that has raced officially since 1885 and unofficially since an 1837 meeting the course credits to the town’s British garrison. The identity is family-first: eight of ten fixtures run in the evening, live music starts after the second-last race, and July’s Ladies Day is the card the county circles.

The track is sharp and quick — a right-handed circuit of about a mile and a quarter (the course’s own site gives 1m2f on one page and 1m1f on another, and sources genuinely split on oval versus rectangular). The home straight undulates slightly and rises to the post off a run-in of about three and a half furlongs. It is emphatically a speed track: the quantified pace figures below are among the starkest on any Irish page in this series.

“Roscommon is a quick and sharp track, but it rides well. In general, it suits those that have the pace to get prominent. The draw isn’t a major issue over the shorter trips as they have plenty of time to sort themselves out. There is a steady rise up to the finish, but I would sooner describe it as a speed track than a testing one.”
— Mick Kinane, former champion Irish Flat jockey — At The Races

The data agrees with every clause of that. “Suits those that have the pace to get prominent” is quantified below at Impact Values the wrong side of embarrassing for hold-up riders; “the draw isn’t a major issue” matches the broadest study’s “you can win from any draw here” — with one contested seven-furlong exception the draw section takes seriously; and “a speed track, not a testing one” is the whole betting identity of the place in eight words.

Course Facts

Circuit Right-handed, ~1m2f — the course’s own website also says 1m1f on a second page; shape is described as oval by some sources, rectangular by others
Profile Broadly flat with a slightly undulating home straight and a steady rise to the post; run-in ~3½f
Bends Relatively sharp — the second-last is independently rated the trickiest
Trips 7f handicaps through the Lenebane’s 1m4f17y; no 5f–6f sprint programme was found in current cards
Season Ten fixtures, May to mid-October, all Mondays/Tuesdays, eight of them evenings

Pace & Speed

Front-runners Impact Values of 2.5 at 7f, a huge 3.71 at 1m2f, and 1.42 at 1m4f (course study)
The rule “The further off the pace you are at Roscommon, the more of a disadvantage it is”
Rider view Kinane: a speed track, not a testing one — prominent pace is the asset
Caveat No IV figures exist for sprint trips, and no sample sizes are published

Lenebane Stakes & Ladies Day

Status Listed since its 2006 inception — €45,000 in 2025, exactly the new HRI Listed floor
Trip 1m4f17y on the dated 2025 card — the “1m3f” still printed elsewhere is stale
Records John Oxx trained six winners; Chris Hayes has ridden three
The day Ladies Day, first day of the July meeting — the course’s biggest single card

Pace Analysis

Do front-runners win at Roscommon?

Roscommon is a tight, undulating right-hander of about a mile and a quarter that finishes uphill — a combination that consistently rewards horses racing close to the pace. The turns give a held-up runner nowhere cheap to improve, and the climb then asks a question of anything that has spent its energy getting into the race.

It is a summer boutique track with a short fixture list, so the numbers behind this are thinner and less independently verified than at a busier course. The direction, though, is consistent across everything available and it matches what the geometry would predict: be handy, and be sure the horse gets the trip.

Run Style Bias — Qualitative Only

▲ Prominent

Rewarded by turns and climb alike

▲ Front-runners

Nowhere cheap for others to improve

▼ Mid-division

Improving costs on tight turns

▼ Held up

The climb finds them out

Treat these bars as directional — a reading of how the track rides rather than a statistical measurement. A short fixture list means thin, largely unverified samples — the direction is consistent but the evidence base is small.

Draw Analysis

Does the draw matter at Roscommon?

Draw Bias Strength by Distance

Stars rate the strength of a directional bias — ★ mild, ★★ moderate, ★★★ strong. Non-directional reads (Broadly Fair, No Clear Bias, Conflicting, Unstable) carry no stars.

Based on stalls-position draw data. Higher bar = stronger draw bias.

Disputed

Genuinely Disputed

1m – 1m2f

Fair

No Meaningful Bias

1m4f

Pace

Position, Not Stalls

Strong bias — material handicapping factor

Moderate lean — worth noting

Broadly fair — not a primary factor

The broadest dataset says there is nothing to see: the course study’s percentage-of-rivals-beaten figures for low, middle and high are “very close whatever the distance,” and its headline is simply “you can win from any draw here.” Kinane’s rider view matches — over the shorter trips the field has time to sort itself out. The one genuine argument is at seven furlongs, where two specialist sources reach opposite conclusions: one finds a slight low-draw edge; the other counted big-field 7f handicaps and found outside draws winning 13 of 21 — while itself warning the sample is small. Three positions at one trip — none, low, high — is not a bias you can bet; it’s a debate you should know exists.

Genuinely Disputed

No bias (the broadest study) vs a slight low edge (one specialist site) vs high draws 13-of-21 in 10+ runner handicaps (another, self-caveated as small-sample). Three sourced answers; treat any single one with suspicion.

1m – 1m2f

No Meaningful Bias

“Win from any draw” is the study’s own headline, and Kinane agrees there’s time to take a position. The stall number matters far less than who controls the gallop into the sharp second-last bend.

1m4f

Position, Not Stalls

Over the Lenebane trip the front-runner Impact Value still reads 1.42 — the draw’s influence is long gone by the first bend, but early position never stops paying at this track.

The quantified read has PRB “very close whatever the distance” with front-runner impact values of 2.5, 3.71 and 1.42 at 7f, 1m2f and 1m4f. A second read finds a slight low edge at 7f without publishing figures, and a third has high draws 13-of-21 in big-field 7f handicaps on a self-caveated small sample. Mick Kinane’s rider view comes via At The Races. No stalls-level draw pull has been run for this page yet; quantified bars will follow.

Statistics · Since 2010

Which trainers and jockeys win most at Roscommon?

Trainer	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 O’Brien, Joseph Patrick	204	41	20.10%	94	46.08%	0.93	-23.95
2 Lyons, G M	167	37	22.16%	79	47.31%	1.08	+23.51
3 Harrington, Mrs John	201	33	16.42%	74	36.82%	1.05	-0.24
4 Bolger, J S	247	26	10.53%	67	27.13%	0.85	-24.21
5 Weld, D K	167	19	11.38%	62	37.13%	0.65	-76.99
6 Murtagh, J P	121	17	14.05%	53	43.80%	0.78	-45.90
7 O’Brien, A P	99	17	17.17%	44	44.44%	0.64	-49.42
8 Meade, Noel	107	14	13.08%	34	31.78%	0.91	-11.82
9 McCreery, W	102	14	13.73%	27	26.47%	1.10	-2.37
10 Cromwell, Gavin Patrick	96	14	14.58%	44	45.83%	0.99	-15.75
11 Twomey, P	24	11	45.83%	17	70.83%	1.48	+13.44
12 Halford, M	100	10	10.00%	29	29.00%	0.78	-33.50
13 Oliver, Andrew	100	10	10.00%	34	34.00%	0.84	-58.75
14 Rogers, H	108	9	8.33%	27	25.00%	0.90	-10.00
15 McGuinness, Adrian	100	9	9.00%	28	28.00%	0.93	-20.50
16 Slattery, Andrew	86	9	10.47%	20	23.26%	1.09	-34.67
17 McConnell, John C	114	7	6.14%	22	19.30%	0.87	-2.75
18 Lavery, Ms Sheila	62	7	11.29%	13	20.97%	1.20	-17.42
19 Hogan, Denis Gerard	111	6	5.41%	24	21.62%	0.58	-32.50

Roscommon Flat, since 2010. Ger Lyons is the standout — 37 winners from 167 at 22.16%, A/E 1.08 and +£23.51, the only trainer here in level-stakes profit. Jessica Harrington is right at fair value (16.42% from 201, A/E 1.05) and Joseph Patrick O’Brien leads on winners (41) at A/E 0.93. Dermot Weld is the clearest to oppose at A/E 0.65 across 167 runners for £76.99 down. Below the table, M D O’Callaghan has returned A/E 1.32 from 43 runners. A sharp, undulating right-hander where the smaller Irish yards hold their own.
Roscommon Flat · Current trainers, since 2010

Jockey	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Keane, C T	293	50	17.06%	118	40.27%	0.88	-34.76
2 Foley, Shane	316	34	10.76%	92	29.11%	0.78	-124.08
3 Lee, W J	234	33	14.10%	84	35.90%	0.99	-86.80
4 McDonogh, D P	219	32	14.61%	72	32.88%	1.00	-22.68
5 Hayes, C D	301	28	9.30%	83	27.57%	0.78	-66.93
6 Carroll, G F	242	28	11.57%	75	30.99%	1.02	-73.74
7 Coen, Ben M	130	20	15.38%	45	34.62%	1.06	-14.45
8 Lordan, W M	183	18	9.84%	49	26.78%	0.80	-87.42
9 Whelan, R P	208	15	7.21%	50	24.04%	0.75	-72.72
10 McMonagle, Dylan B	104	14	13.46%	48	46.15%	0.67	-56.44
11 Roche, L F	148	11	7.43%	24	16.22%	1.20	-47.12
12 Cleary, R P	228	7	3.07%	38	16.67%	0.46	-167.50
13 Heffernan, J A	192	7	3.65%	33	17.19%	0.42	-157.17
14 Slattery, A J	78	7	8.97%	22	28.21%	0.83	-22.25
15 Ryan, J J G	62	7	11.29%	13	20.97%	1.44	+21.50
16 Curtis, B A	56	7	12.50%	11	19.64%	1.82	+36.75
17 McCullagh, N G	119	6	5.04%	25	21.01%	0.61	-81.20
18 Colgan, R C	95	5	5.26%	12	12.63%	0.91	-48.00
19 Orr, Oisin	60	5	8.33%	20	33.33%	0.72	-21.77
20 Ryan, Gavin	60	5	8.33%	15	25.00%	0.83	-20.00

Roscommon Flat, since 2010. Colin Keane leads on winners (50 from 293) at A/E 0.88. Gary Carroll (A/E 1.02), Declan McDonogh (1.00) and Billy Lee (0.99) are all effectively at fair price, which makes this a fairer weighing room than most in the set. Shane Foley is the one to oppose at A/E 0.78 for £124.08 of losses. The best figure belongs to Ben Curtis below the table — A/E 1.82 and +£36.75 from 56 rides — though he now rides in the United States, so treat that as a record rather than a live angle.
Roscommon Flat · Current riders, since 2010

Sire Statistics · Since 2010

Which sires do best at Roscommon?

A/E above 1.0 indicates market underestimation.

Sire	Runs	Wins	Win%	Places	Place%	A/E	P/L
1 Galileo (IRE)	105	13	12.38%	42	40.00%	0.63	-20.79
2 Elzaam (AUS)	84	11	13.10%	24	28.57%	1.30	-9.21
3 Zoffany (IRE)	73	9	12.33%	24	32.88%	0.91	-10.75
4 Big Bad Bob (IRE)	57	9	15.79%	17	29.82%	1.17	-9.80
5 Australia	41	9	21.95%	15	36.59%	1.56	+12.73
6 Holy Roman Emperor (IRE)	65	8	12.31%	18	27.69%	1.02	+5.00
7 Intense Focus (USA)	58	8	13.79%	16	27.59%	1.23	-5.29
8 Fastnet Rock (AUS)	54	8	14.81%	13	24.07%	1.09	-13.12
9 Sea The Stars (IRE)	45	8	17.78%	20	44.44%	0.85	-13.30
10 Pivotal	28	8	28.57%	17	60.71%	1.70	+52.50
11 Fast Company (IRE)	76	7	9.21%	23	30.26%	0.85	+89.21
12 Rock Of Gibraltar (IRE)	64	7	10.94%	15	23.44%	1.14	-11.58
13 Jeremy (USA)	54	7	12.96%	13	24.07%	1.34	+15.50
14 Dandy Man (IRE)	83	6	7.23%	24	28.92%	0.73	-21.67
15 Footstepsinthesand	73	6	8.22%	12	16.44%	0.75	-48.50
16 Invincible Spirit (IRE)	57	6	10.53%	24	42.11%	0.83	-25.25
17 Lope De Vega (IRE)	47	6	12.77%	17	36.17%	0.81	-24.72
18 Camelot	45	6	13.33%	17	37.78%	0.75	-16.89
19 Captain Rio	34	6	17.65%	9	26.47%	1.82	+29.75
20 Profitable (IRE)	33	6	18.18%	8	24.24%	1.86	+19.83

Roscommon Flat, since 2010. A thin, wide-open page: Galileo leads on only 13 winners and returns A/E 0.63, the weakest figure here. The value is with the less fashionable names — Australia (21.95% from 41, A/E 1.56 and +£12.73), Elzaam (A/E 1.30) and Big Bad Bob (A/E 1.17). Zoffany is around fair at 0.91. Nothing on this page carries more than about 100 runners, so these are pointers rather than signals, but the direction is consistent: at Roscommon the classic pedigrees are over-bet and the tough, speedy sires are not.
Roscommon Flat · Since 2010

How to read these tables. The figures are a first-party pull for this course and code covering runs since 1 January 2010, taken as a snapshot rather than updated live. A/E compares actual wins with the wins implied by starting price, so a figure above 1.00 means the group has won more often than its SP suggested. P/L is profit or loss to £1 win stakes at starting price.

Insider Knowledge

Betting Tips for Roscommon Flat Turf

⏩

Never be out the back at Roscommon

Front-runner Impact Values of 2.5 at 7f and 3.71 at a mile and a quarter are among the most lopsided pace figures at any Irish track — and the study’s own rule is that the further back you are, the worse it gets. Confirmed pace angles beat class angles here.

🏆

Keane and Lyons across every window

Colin Keane (27 wins since 2009, +9.46 blind; 16 wins in the separate 2015–20 window) and Ger Lyons (29 wins at 20.91%; 14 at 24% in the second window) lead both independent long-run datasets. When the stable and rider combine here, the market rarely under-prices it — but the strike rates justify the shorts.

📈

The recent-form names differ from the legacy ones

The last-three-years table reads Joseph O’Brien (17 from 81) and Billy Lee (12 from 56, 21.43%) with Ben Coen close behind — a different cast from the since-2009 leaders. Both windows are real; know which one your stat came from.

⚖

Treat every 7f draw claim as unproven

Three sources, three answers at seven furlongs — none, low, high — and the only quantified one warns about its own sample. If a preview leans hard on a Roscommon draw stat, it picked a side the evidence doesn’t settle. Pace is the solid ground.

🌈

Yielding is the quiet default

The two dated 2025 feature-day snapshots read yielding and good-to-yielding — two data points, not a dataset, but a caution against assuming summer-evening fixtures mean fast ground in the west. Check the IHRB report on the day.

💰

The Lenebane is a floor-value Listed race

Its €45,000 pot sits exactly on the new HRI Listed minimum — honest calibre context: it draws proper black-type fillies and progressive handicappers stepping up, not Group-race refugees. Oxx’s six wins say the classic yards have always used it; price the field as Listed-floor, not Group-lite.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Backing hold-up horses to swoop. Early position never stops paying at Roscommon — the front-runner Impact Value reads 1.42 even at the Lenebane trip and hold-up figures sit the wrong side of embarrassing — so a closer needs the race run to collapse.
Backing the 7f draw either way. Three sources give three answers at that trip (none, low, high), so it is genuinely open — the evidenced edge here is pace, not the stall.
Assuming Roscommon rides fast. Yielding is the quiet default and the 2025 feature days confirmed it — western weather keeps genuine fast ground rare, so read the going, not the season.

Common Questions

Roscommon (Flat) Racecourse FAQs

Is there a draw bias at Roscommon?

Broadly no — the course study’s percentage-of-rivals-beaten figures are “very close whatever the distance” and its own headline is “you can win from any draw here,” which matches Mick Kinane’s rider view. The one contested trip is 7f, where one specialist site sees a slight low edge and another counted high draws winning 13 of 21 big-field handicaps (small sample, self-caveated). The reliable edge is pace: front-runner Impact Values run 2.5 at 7f and 3.71 at 1m2f.

What kind of track is Roscommon on the Flat?

A sharp, quick, right-handed circuit of about a mile and a quarter that rides well — “a speed track, not a testing one” in Kinane’s words. The home straight undulates slightly and rises to the post, the run-in is about 3½ furlongs, and the second-last bend is rated the trickiest point. Precision caveat: the course’s own website gives both 1m2f and 1m1f for the circuit, and sources split between oval and rectangular.

What is the biggest Flat race at Roscommon?

The Watch Racing TV Irish EBF Lenebane Stakes — a Listed race over 1m4f17y (don’t trust the stale “1m3f” still in circulation) worth €45,000, run on Ladies Day, the first day of the July meeting. Listed from its 2006 inception and named for the townland the racecourse sits in, it belonged to John Oxx historically — six training wins — with Chris Hayes’s three rides the jockey record.

Who does well at Roscommon on the Flat?

Colin Keane and Ger Lyons dominate both long-run windows — Keane 27 wins since 2009 (profitable blind at +9.46) and 16 in 2015–20 alone; Lyons 29 wins at 20.91% and 14 at 24% in the same two windows. The recent three-year table adds Joseph O’Brien (17 from 81) and Billy Lee (21.43%).

When and where does Roscommon race?

Ten fixtures from May to mid-October, every one a Monday or Tuesday and eight of them evening cards with live music after the second-last race. The course is on Racecourse Road in Lenabane townland just outside Roscommon town — 76km from Galway, roughly 140km from Dublin, a short taxi from Roscommon rail station, with Ireland West Airport Knock 69km north. Free parking, three bars, and a proper county-festival feel on Ladies Day.

Explore

Nearby Tracks

Galway

The festival switchback, 76km southwest.

Ballinrobe

Mayo’s evening track above Lough Carra.

Sligo

The stiff-finish bowl in the north-west.

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