Life’s a beach at Laytown but what are the conditions for racing there? Laytown is easily the most unique racecourse in Britain and Ireland, as it’s the only course to host recognised racing under rules on a beach. There are no permanent facilities at the track, they are constructed for the racing before being dismantled immediately after. The wet sand usually means the surface rides pretty quick so fast ground horses tend to do well. Laytown’s unique status means that there are some very specific requirements to the race conditions so we’re going to take a look at them here. The History of Laytown The history of racing at Laytown goes back to 1868 and there used to be a rowing regatta when the tide was in and racing took place at low tide. Racing takes place once a year in September and some of Ireland’s biggest names have won there in the past. Starting stalls are a relatively new addition, as races were run with a flag start up until 2015. Other fun facts include the 1875 fixture featured a penny farthing race for gentlemen, while prominent Irish politician Charles Stuart Parnell was one of the first stewards at Laytown. Some of the big names to have ridden winners here are Ruby Walsh, Colin Keane, Pat Smullen, and top amateurs such as Nina Carberry, Katie Walsh, Derek O’Connor and Patrick Mullins. Race distances Whilst this hasn’t always been the case, currently all races are run exclusively over six or seven furlongs. Historically, races were staged over as far as two miles, but after a serious incident in the 90s, all races are shorter for health and safety purposes. As it’s harder to regulate the surface, risk of injury is reduced by ensuring that horses don’t have to turn. Field sizes For obvious reasons, Laytown isn’t the biggest or widest of tracks and it’s important that field sizes are appropriate as a result. Current regulations stipulate that there can be no more than 10 runners in each race, ensuring the horses have plenty of racing room. This makes a change as most Irish meetings have plenty of runners so it also adds to the uniqueness of the experience for racegoers. Jockey restrictions Riding at Laytown requires a certain level of experience and responsibility as so much can go wrong. With that in mind, there are specific requirements which mean only jockeys who have ridden a certain number of winners can ride there. Well established riders such as Colin Keane, Seamie Heffernan and Wayne Lordan are worth looking out for. Heffernan has been particularly successful with seven winners at the track to date. Headgear regulations Another significant difference between racing at Laytown and everywhere else is that headgear is banned. If horses run better with cheekpieces, hoods or blinkers, you’re out of luck as they will have to run without them!
