Tramore
National Hunt
Graun Hill, Tramore, County Waterford · the hill above the bay the racing once ran on
Turf
Right-Handed
Tight & Hilly
Tramore also stages Flat turf racing. Read the Flat racecourse guide →
What is Tramore like as a jumps track?
Tramore is Irish racing’s great survivor. Racing began on Tramore Strand in 1785 and moved onto a proper course built on reclaimed Back Strand land in 1880 — until the sea took it back. An April 1911 tide breached the Malcomson embankment; then, on 13 December 1911, a southerly gale drove the sea in until only the grandstand roof showed above the water. “No more races at Tramore,” wrote the Cork Examiner. Martin Joseph Murphy — the course’s owner, who had spent two decades building it up — started arranging its replacement within 48 hours, bought a farm on Graun Hill above the town, and opened the current course for the August Festival of 1912, grandstand and all, seven months after the flood.
It needed saving once more: in 1997, with the land eyed for a housing development, a consortium fronted by Vince Power and led by Dawn Meats’ Peter Queally invested over €5 million to secure and refit it — the same Vince Power who had promoted Bob Dylan, Ray Charles and Van Morrison on this ground at the Fleadh Mór festival four years earlier. The reward for all that stubbornness is a track like nothing else: a right-handed circuit of barely seven to seven and a half furlongs on a hill over the bay, with — as one guide puts it — no flat parts at all.
And one genuine oddity that shapes every bet here: there are no starting stalls at Tramore. Every race, Flat included, starts by flag — which is why jumps-hardened horses often break better than Flat-bred visitors meeting the method for the first time.
Charlie Swan, former champion Irish jump jockey — At The Races
Swan’s “probably the trickiest track in the country” is close to the settled view: Tramore is variously called “possibly the hardest track in Ireland to ride” and “one of the trickiest in the whole of Irish racing.” The geometry explains it. The circuit climbs on the turn away from the stands, plunges down the back — the long downhill run to the second-last is the track’s defining passage, and that fence is its hardest: a downhill approach with a landing side that’s already climbing — then turns into a short, stiff, uphill straight with just 160 yards from the last to the line. Ridden greedily, the hill going out and the hill coming home take turns extracting payment.
The pace data is the most extreme of any course in this Irish series, with one honest caveat. Chase front-runners here carry a win profit-and-loss figure of 113.66 and an Impact Value of 2.5 — extraordinary numbers — but that snapshot is internally dated February 2021, so treat it as evidence of a deep structural bias rather than a live current-season stat. Hurdles lean the same way, front-runners and prominent racers substantially outperforming everything ridden colder. Course specialists are documented here to an unusual degree, in Swan’s words “both in terms of horses and riders” — previous Tramore form is a first-class filter.
The showpiece is winter’s: the O’Driscoll’s Irish Whiskey New Year’s Day Chase, a Grade 3 over 2m6f170y verified from the dated 1 January 2025 card — €22,500 to the winner, run that year on heavy ground and won by Embassy Gardens for Willie Mullins. Mullins’ grip on the race is remarkable: eight of the thirteen runnings to 2024 by one count, plus 2025’s. August brings the four-day festival, Thursday to Sunday, a tradition dating from 1807 on the old strand — three jumps cards and the Flat “Style Evening” Saturday on the best-evidenced recent pattern, though its sponsored feature races rotate names year to year and none carries black type.
The Hill Course
- Circuit ~7–7½f round, right-handed (8f in some listings) — among the smallest circuits in Ireland
- Profile Climbs on the turn away from the stands, long downhill run to the second-last, stiff uphill home straight
- Run-in 160 yards after the last — three sources agree exactly
- Quirk The jumps track takes an alternative bend into the straight, riding even sharper than the Flat course
The Obstacles & the Start
- Fences 5 per circuit — two on the stands side (one an open ditch), one down the back, two in the home straight
- The second-last The hardest jump on the track: downhill run-up, climbing landing side
- Hurdles 4 per circuit in most listings, 5 in others — a genuine conflict, unresolved
- No stalls Every start at Tramore is by flag — jumps horses know the drill; stalls-schooled visitors don’t
New Year’s Day Chase
- Status Grade 3 over 2m6f170y (dated 2025 card) — upgraded from Listed status, reported as 2020
- 2025 Embassy Gardens won on heavy for Willie Mullins — €22,500 to the winner
- The grip Mullins: eight of the thirteen runnings to 2024, then 2025’s as well
- Sponsors O’Driscoll’s Irish Whiskey since 2025, after Savills — older “Listed Holden Plant Rentals” copy is two sponsors stale
The Survivor’s Story
- 1785–1911 Racing on the strand, then a reclaimed-land course the sea destroyed — the 13 Dec 1911 flood left only the grandstand roof visible
- 1912 M. J. Murphy rebuilt on Graun Hill in seven months — racing there ever since
- 1997 Saved from a housing-development sale by the €5m Power/Queally consortium
- 1993 Bob Dylan played the course at Fleadh Mór — promoted by the same Vince Power
When does Tramore race?
The Most Extreme Front Bias in This Series
Tramore chase front-runners carry a win profit-and-loss of 113.66 and an Impact Value of 2.5 — the most lopsided pace figures on any page in Formdial’s Irish set. One honesty note before the bars: that snapshot is internally dated February 2021, so read it as proof of a deep structural bias on a tiny, turning, hilly track rather than a live seasonal figure. Hurdles run the same direction, front-runners and prominent racers substantially outperforming mid-division and held-up rivals. The only crack in the wall is ground: on softer going, Kinane notes on the Flat side, horses can come from off the pace — the hill blunts tearaways when it rides deep.
Run Style — chases (snapshot dated Feb 2021)
▲ Win P/L 113.66 · IV 2.5
▲ Substantially outperform
▼ Poor — nowhere to make ground
Note the code split: this front-runner dominance is a JUMPS phenomenon here. The same figures have mid-division horses winning most often on Tramore’s Flat — the full detail lives on the Flat page.
Which trainers and jockeys win most at Tramore?
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Win% | Places | Place% | A/E | P/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mullins, W P | 345 | 131 | 37.97% | 218 | 63.19% | 1.02 | -16.37 |
| 2 Bromhead, Henry De | 448 | 70 | 15.63% | 185 | 41.29% | 0.76 | -139.58 |
| 3 Elliott, Gordon | 449 | 68 | 15.14% | 168 | 37.42% | 0.81 | -87.76 |
| 4 Doyle, Eoin | 332 | 38 | 11.45% | 99 | 29.82% | 0.89 | -57.39 |
| 5 Rothwell, P J | 330 | 21 | 6.36% | 73 | 22.12% | 0.81 | -128.50 |
| 6 O’Brien, David M | 188 | 21 | 11.17% | 53 | 28.19% | 1.05 | -33.78 |
| 7 Dullea, J D | 120 | 20 | 16.67% | 39 | 32.50% | 1.50 | +17.00 |
| 8 O’Grady, E J | 119 | 18 | 15.13% | 39 | 32.77% | 1.00 | -39.35 |
| 9 Cromwell, Gavin Patrick | 158 | 17 | 10.76% | 47 | 29.75% | 0.69 | -75.21 |
| 10 Doyle, Miss Elizabeth | 157 | 17 | 10.83% | 54 | 34.39% | 0.85 | -4.35 |
| 11 Ryan, John Patrick | 158 | 15 | 9.49% | 39 | 24.68% | 0.94 | -79.87 |
| 12 Kiely, J E and Thomas | 63 | 14 | 22.22% | 32 | 50.79% | 1.01 | -5.46 |
| 13 Hanlon, John Joseph | 245 | 11 | 4.49% | 42 | 17.14% | 0.55 | -133.00 |
| 14 Hogan, Denis Gerard | 119 | 11 | 9.24% | 34 | 28.57% | 0.93 | -25.37 |
| 15 Queally, Declan | 113 | 11 | 9.73% | 36 | 31.86% | 0.72 | -59.97 |
| 16 Burke, W J | 96 | 11 | 11.46% | 19 | 19.79% | 1.30 | -4.59 |
| 17 Queally, John | 74 | 10 | 13.51% | 25 | 33.78% | 1.03 | -25.72 |
| 18 McConnell, John C | 64 | 10 | 15.63% | 19 | 29.69% | 1.52 | +9.25 |
| 19 Walsh, T M | 48 | 10 | 20.83% | 17 | 35.42% | 1.28 | +4.98 |
| 20 Nolan, Paul | 109 | 9 | 8.26% | 33 | 30.28% | 0.62 | -61.50 |
tramore NH · Current trainers, since 2010
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Win% | Places | Place% | A/E | P/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Townend, P | 208 | 63 | 30.29% | 114 | 54.81% | 1.01 | +24.00 |
| 2 O’Keeffe, Darragh | 267 | 38 | 14.23% | 92 | 34.46% | 1.00 | +1.12 |
| 3 Mullins, D E | 306 | 37 | 12.09% | 101 | 33.01% | 0.92 | -75.01 |
| 4 Hayes, Brian | 301 | 36 | 11.96% | 97 | 32.23% | 1.13 | -59.34 |
| 5 Mullins, Mr P W | 63 | 29 | 46.03% | 45 | 71.43% | 1.06 | +2.10 |
| 6 Flanagan, S W | 314 | 27 | 8.60% | 75 | 23.89% | 0.81 | -102.86 |
| 7 Enright, P T | 427 | 24 | 5.62% | 97 | 22.72% | 0.61 | -246.00 |
| 8 Kennedy, J W | 168 | 20 | 11.90% | 60 | 35.71% | 0.63 | -54.35 |
| 9 Donoghue, K M | 166 | 19 | 11.45% | 49 | 29.52% | 0.78 | -64.81 |
| 10 Townend, Miss J | 37 | 15 | 40.54% | 19 | 51.35% | 1.23 | +11.81 |
| 11 Meyler, D | 159 | 13 | 8.18% | 33 | 20.75% | 0.83 | -88.92 |
| 12 Gainford, Mr J C | 112 | 11 | 9.82% | 32 | 28.57% | 0.92 | -14.38 |
| 13 Slevin, J J | 184 | 10 | 5.43% | 35 | 19.02% | 0.52 | -102.00 |
| 14 Walsh, M P | 92 | 10 | 10.87% | 33 | 35.87% | 0.63 | -55.41 |
| 15 Burke, Jonathan | 86 | 9 | 10.47% | 21 | 24.42% | 1.01 | +6.00 |
| 16 O’Keeffe, Sean F | 164 | 8 | 4.88% | 39 | 23.78% | 0.50 | -86.50 |
| 17 Sexton, K C | 106 | 8 | 7.55% | 24 | 22.64% | 0.79 | -6.00 |
| 18 Treacy, R P | 90 | 8 | 8.89% | 16 | 17.78% | 1.29 | -41.92 |
| 19 Doyle, R A | 80 | 8 | 10.00% | 13 | 16.25% | 1.17 | -23.00 |
| 20 McGarvey, J S | 122 | 7 | 5.74% | 25 | 20.49% | 0.65 | -84.17 |
tramore NH · Current riders, since 2010
Which sires do best at Tramore?
| Sire | Runs | Wins | Win% | Places | Place% | A/E | P/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Beneficial | 345 | 32 | 9.28% | 95 | 27.54% | 0.82 | -119.65 |
| 2 Presenting | 305 | 31 | 10.16% | 99 | 32.46% | 0.81 | -91.69 |
| 3 Yeats (IRE) | 172 | 22 | 12.79% | 53 | 30.81% | 1.07 | -31.32 |
| 4 King’s Theatre (IRE) | 156 | 22 | 14.10% | 60 | 38.46% | 0.97 | -11.01 |
| 5 Milan | 247 | 21 | 8.50% | 53 | 21.46% | 0.75 | -144.45 |
| 6 Gold Well | 155 | 20 | 12.90% | 54 | 34.84% | 1.23 | +34.75 |
| 7 Getaway (GER) | 185 | 19 | 10.27% | 47 | 25.41% | 0.88 | -1.12 |
| 8 Shirocco (GER) | 155 | 19 | 12.26% | 33 | 21.29% | 1.37 | +36.83 |
| 9 Mahler | 151 | 18 | 11.92% | 44 | 29.14% | 1.04 | -38.14 |
| 10 Oscar (IRE) | 239 | 17 | 7.11% | 57 | 23.85% | 0.65 | -112.00 |
| 11 Flemensfirth (USA) | 227 | 16 | 7.05% | 53 | 23.35% | 0.53 | -157.00 |
| 12 Walk In The Park (IRE) | 128 | 16 | 12.50% | 44 | 34.38% | 0.83 | -40.47 |
| 13 Westerner | 185 | 15 | 8.11% | 58 | 31.35% | 0.64 | -85.75 |
| 14 Shantou (USA) | 141 | 15 | 10.64% | 34 | 24.11% | 0.87 | -53.39 |
| 15 Doyen (IRE) | 121 | 13 | 10.74% | 36 | 29.75% | 1.00 | -25.71 |
| 16 Fame And Glory | 139 | 11 | 7.91% | 34 | 24.46% | 0.73 | -72.33 |
| 17 Stowaway | 120 | 10 | 8.33% | 28 | 23.33% | 0.55 | -63.87 |
| 18 Brian Boru | 87 | 10 | 11.49% | 23 | 26.44% | 0.97 | -16.25 |
| 19 Bach (IRE) | 77 | 10 | 12.99% | 22 | 28.57% | 1.29 | -7.17 |
| 20 Old Vic | 64 | 9 | 14.06% | 14 | 21.88% | 1.20 | +22.33 |
tramore NH · Since 2010
Betting Angles
Course form is worth double here
“It definitely produces course specialists both in terms of horses and riders” — Swan. The figures say the same: anything with a solid previous Tramore run deserves a second look. On a track this idiosyncratic, proven handling of it beats a class edge earned somewhere ordinary.
Forward in the chases, always
The 113.66 P/L front-runner figure is a dated snapshot, but the shape it measures hasn’t changed: five fences, constant turns, a 160-yard run-in and no straight worth the name. Nothing wins a Tramore chase from out the back; take the horse that will be pitched in front past the stands.
Flag starts reward the streetwise
No stalls means every race starts on a flag — routine for seasoned jumpers, alien to some visitors. Horses with prior flag-start experience break cleaner and take positions on a track where position is everything. Check the form for previous Tramore or bumper starts.
Mullins and Townend, whatever the window
Every dataset gathered — four different windows — puts Willie Mullins top among jumps trainers (strike rates from 33% to 43%) and Paul Townend at or near the top of the riders (up to 42%). The New Year’s Day Chase record is the extreme case. The market knows; the strike rates keep paying anyway.
Don’t auto-back favourites in the small chases
Tramore is a tough track for favourite backers overall — non-handicap chases return almost nothing at level stakes to the market leader. Small fields on a specialists’ track produce false favourites; the course-form horse at a price is the recurring Tramore result.
January and August are different planets
The New Year’s Day card can go heavy (it did in 2025); the summer festival typically rides good to good-to-yielding with selective watering. Same hill, different sports — weight winter form for stamina and mud, summer form for speed and handiness.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Backing hold-up horses over the smallest track. Tramore chases hand front-runners an Impact Value of 2.5 and a big level-stakes profit — with constant turns, a 160-yard run-in and no straight worth the name, nothing wins here from out the back.
- Over-rating a graded Tramore line. Its one graded race is the Grade 3 New Year’s Day Chase, and the August features are rotating sponsored handicaps — so weight a Tramore result at its real class.
- Underrating course experience. Tramore is a sharp, constantly turning circuit unlike almost anywhere else, so proven course form counts for more here than a raw rating earned on a galloping track.
Tramore Racecourse FAQs
What is the biggest race at Tramore?
How do the flag starts at Tramore affect betting?
What kind of track is Tramore?
Does racing still take place on Tramore beach?
When and where does Tramore race?
Other Jumps Tracks
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