Limerick Racecourse Guide

Limerick holds the distinction of being the most recent purpose-built racecourse in Ireland and opened in its current guise as recently as 2001.

The track at Greenmount Park is 8km south of the city of Limerick and became the first new racecourse in Ireland in 50 years. It replaced the previous venue at Greenpark, which had closed in 1990 after more than a century of racing.

Limerick stages racing both on the Flat and over jumps, with their major meeting coming at Christmas. Here's our guide to Limerick racecourse.

Here's our guide to Limerick racecourse.

Limerick Racecourse Location

Where is Limerick?

Limerick is in County Limerick, western Ireland, on the River Shannon in the province of Munster. The racecourse is easy to access from the M20 motorway.

How to get to Limerick Racecourse

By Train

The racecourse is approximately 13 kilometres from Limerick Colbert train station, which is served by services from Dublin, Galway and Waterford.

By Bus

There is a shuttle bus service to the city on racedays with stops at Merchants Quay and People's Park.

By Car

Take Exit 4 from the M20 motorway. The racecourse is five miles from the city of Limerick and three miles from the village of Adare.

By Air

Limerick racecourse is approximately 30 minutes by car from Shannon Airport.

Limerick Racecourse Layout

Track Layout

The flat track at Limerick is a right-handed and undulating circuit of one mile and three furlongs. There is a steep climb on the latter half of the back straight before a downhill run on the approach to the three-furlong home straight.

Frontrunners can prosper as the finish is not particularly tough. It is a track that can change character depending on what the ground is like and testing ground can often prevail, especially in the jumps season. 

There are seven fences to a circuit of the chase course, five of them in quick succession in the back straight.

The chase track is outside of the hurdles course and there is a run-in of around one furlong. With five fences in the back straight, it can be quite a tricky track to ride, with the final two fences also potentially problematic for riders who don't have local knowledge.

Enclosures and Viewing Areas

Limerick racecourse is dominated by its large grandstand, which covers over 3,000 square metres on four levels. There are a variety of restaurants and suites, including the panoramic restaurant and the Munster Suite.

Key Races at Limerick 

Martin Molony Stakes

The top Flat race on the Limerick calendar is the Listed Martin Molony Stakes for four-year-olds and older horses, which is run over one mile and four-and-a-half furlongs in June.

JT McNamara Munster National

The Munster National is run at Limerick in October. It's a three-mile handicap chase race that usually attracts a big field and has been named in honour of JT McNamara since 2016.

The 2024 race was won by Reel Steel, ridden by Danny Mullins and trained by Eric McNamara. The best-known recent winner is Tiger Roll, who won the race as a six-year-old in 2016 before going on to win the Aintree Grand National in 2018 and 2019.

Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle

The Grade 2 Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle is run at Limerick's Christmas meeting and is a stamina test over three miles for promising staying hurdlers.

It was won by future Champion Hurdler Faugheen in 2013 while Henry De Bromhead's The Big Westerner was successful in 2024.

Dawn Run Mares Novice Chase

Also run at the December meeting, the Dawn Run Mares Novice Chase is a Grade 2 novice chase for mares aged four and older over two miles and six furlongs.

It was first run in 2002 and earned Grade 3 status in 2003 before being elevated to Grade 2 in 2014. Former winners include Concertista and Allegorie De Vassy with Bioluminescence taking the 2024 renewal.

Faugheen Novice Chase

The highlight of Limerick's December meeting is the Grade 1 Faugheen Novice Chase over two miles, three-and-a-half furlongs.

It was first run in 1993 as the Greenmount Park Novice Chase and has been a Grade 1 event since 2018.

In 2020 it was renamed in honour of the 2019 winner Faugheen. Other well-known winners of the race are Imperial Call (1994) and Sir Des Champs (2011), while the last three winners have all been high-class horses in Gerri Colombe (2022), Gaelic Warrior (2023) and Impaire Et Passe (2024).

Limerick Racecourse History

Limerick Racecourse Opening Date

The new Limerick Racecourse opened in October 2001. Other events at Limerick Racecourse Limerick holds music concerts after some of its summer evening meetings and also plays host to events such as conferences and antiques fairs.