Traditionally a National Hunt venue, Thurles occasionally stages flat fixtures. It’s Ireland’s all-weather track for National Hunt racing basically, an incredible surface that doesn’t tend to freeze. I can’t remember too many meetings ever being called off. They races predominantly on Thursdays throughout winter. A fast track, horses that can win over fences at Thurles, novice chasers anyway, can go pretty much anywhere afterwards. There’s a lot of jumping, you race downhill to the furlong pole, past the winning post and it descends gradually for another furlong before climbing to the back straight. A sharp, fast track and the ground doesn’t tend to get too deep there.
