Set before the picturesque vista of Lough Carra along the Wild Atlantic Way, Ballinrobe is situated in the west of Ireland in County Mayo.
A dual-purpose track that holds nine meetings from May through to September each year, racing has taken place at the venue since 1921 and it is one of the best attended tracks in the country, with strong local support showing up for each meeting.
Ballinrobe is a right-handed oval track of around a mile, and once runners turn the bend for home there's roughly a furlong to go. The back straight has a stiff uphill climb, but the finish is downhill, so speedy front-running types are favoured.
Six-furlong handicaps are a rarity at Ballinrobe these days but a full field can see 16 runners line up. In these big field handicaps, middle to high draws have a definite advantage as long as you are away sharply. There tends to be no real bias over 1m1f and upwards.
The jumps track at Ballinrobe is also a right-handed oval track with a loop of around nine furlongs. Again, this is not a track for a staying galloping type and front-running horses are preferred.
There are six fences on each circuit, three in the back straight, with the last one very tricky as it comes just after they turn for home.
