The polytrack course, which opened in August, 2007, is a left-handed, oval course, about 10 furlongs in extent, with a run-in of about 2½ furlongs. A 5f chute joins the main course on the home bend just over 3½ furlongs from the finish, while the 1m start is in a short chute at the start of the back straight.

Dundalk is a very fair track. The cutaway rail they introduced in December 2013 was an excellent move and it has drastically reduced the number of hard-luck stories. In general, it rides quite firm and some horses, particularly those that like a softer surface, won’t let themselves down on it. A low draw is a big help over seven furlongs and particularly over the extended mile-and-a-quarter as the bend comes up very quickly indeed after that start. The kickback had been getting a bit worse during the 2014/15 winter season, but they refurbished the surface in July 2015 and that should settle it down and go back to the fair surface it had been for years.

View from the saddle: Mick Kinane