Sligo Course Guide

A sharp, undulating, right-handed track with a circuit of just over a mile. The run to the straight of just under two furlongs is slightly uphill but it is essentially a track that suits speed horses.

Sligo is one of the trickiest tracks of them all. It is sharp with a very stiff uphill finish. It is on the turn most of the time and while there would be a natural bias in favour of those that race prominently, they can often go too fast there as a few of them are clamouring to get a good early position and they end up doing too much which they pay for up the final hill. The ground there can get particularly heavy, as the track is down in a natural bowl. It is very much a track that produces course specialists and previous form there is a big positive.

View from the saddle: Mick Kinane

A sharp, undulating right-handed track with a circuit of little more than a mile. There are five fences to a circuit of the chase course, which is situated on the outside of the hurdles track, with one just before the straight and one at the bottom of a slightly uphill run-in. A good position turning into the straight is vital.

Sligo is a very tricky track to ride. You never really know what to expect in terms of ground and quite similarly to Listowel, when the ground gets heavy, it is unusually testing and holding and plenty of horses just can’t get through it. It seems to be especially hard to make up ground from off the pace when the ground is testing too. I’m always happy to excuse a poor run from a horse on bad ground there. In general, it is a track that can produce a course specialist, usually a type that has pace, likes to race prominently and stays the trip well, as the finish is quite testing.

View from the saddle: Charlie Swan