Horse Racing
Ballinrobe Racecourse is located one mile from the town on the main Castlebar road (N84). It is the only Racecourse in Mayo and is one of only four in Connaught and hosts nine race meetings annually. To check out the calendar of races for the coming season please click here.
Ballinrobe Racecourse is ideally situated in a natural amphitheatre, it has all you could ask for in a country racecourse, beautiful setting, lively atmosphere and the laid back relaxed attitude that Ireland is famous for. Add to the mix some wonderful horses, the heart and soul of the industry and a visit to Ballinrobe will never be forgotten.
Ballinrobe Racecourse was named ‘Racecourse of the Year’ in 2012 by the Irish Racegoers Consultative forum which highlights the strides it is making with ongoing development and improvement to provide racegoers with a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
With a history of horse racing stretching back more than 230 years, Ballinrobe Racecourse has long had its finger on the pulse of the Irish racing world. Horse Racing has been taking place at the present venue since 1921 and prior to that at other locations around the town, with Race meetings recorded as far back as 1774.
Ballinrobe posseses a slightly elevated right-handed track and boasts an exceptional view of every stride. The course has a rare rustic feel to it – Loughs Corrib, Carra and Mask are all located within a few miles. When you take your place in, or to the front of, the Grand Stand, you look out on a charming course. You can see virtually every stride taken by the horses as they jostle for victory. They run close by – but, crucially, not through – a Ring Fort as old as time. In the mid-distance, the picturesque Partry Mountains look on approvingly. Killarney has the Reeks and Sligo has Ben Bulben. We have Partry. And we wouldn’t change it for the world. There are few courses quite as scenic and as engaging as Ballinrobe. It is a day out for all the family.
Ballinrobe Races are a rite of passage, part of what we are, and a piece of our heritage. And Ballinrobe Race Committee respects that heritage, and takes seriously its duty to preserve it, and to enhance it, for future generations. Ongoing developments at the track reflect that commitment.
Some of horse racing’s top names made their debut in Ballinrobe, like Doran’s Pride, a former Cheltenham winner, who won his first race here in 1993 or Traverse, the unwitting star of the series ‘Only Fools Buy Horses’ who won his first Irish race at Ballinrobe in 2003.