Listowel Harvest Festival Evergreen Trends Punters Should Know

The Harvest Festival at Listowel is amongst Ireland's best-loved autumn racing traditions.

This year it takes place between September 21st-27th with the usual mix of Flat and National Hunt racing across the seven-day fixture.

The main event is undoubtedly the Kerry National, a three-mile handicap chase with a substantial prize fund and a roll of honour that includes Aintree Grand National winner Monty's Pass.

Favourite-backers do best in chases

Over the last five seasons at Listowel, punters backing the market leader blindly would have done best in races over fences.

In non-handicaps, the favourite has won 14-27 races, for a 52 per cent strike-rate, compared to 20-58 for a 34 per cent strike-rate in non-handicaps over hurdles. Those figures drop to 20 per cent over fences and 19 per cent over hurdles in handicaps.

In bumpers, favourites have won 13 of 27 races for a strike-rate of 48 per cent across five seasons.

On the Flat, three-year-olds running in handicaps are most lucrative for punters, with a 32 per cent strike-rate and a level stakes profit of +3.40 in the last five seasons for favourites, with 4YO+ runners in handicaps also in profit for the market leaders.

Juveniles races on the Flat also tend to have been well figured by the market, with a 50 per cent strike-rate for favourite in the last five years (10-20).

Trainers to watch

Unsurprisingly, Willie Mullins is the dominant trainer at Listowel, with 119 career winners, 34 of which have come in the last five seasons.

In that time, the Closutton powerhouse has a 31 per cent strike-rate, though punters backing Mullins blind would be showing a -16.47 loss to a level stake.

Gordon Elliott is next best numerically with 19 winners over the last five seasons, but Joseph O'Brien's nine winners have yielded a level stakes profit of +18.33.

Aidan O'Brien is no stranger to a runner at the Kerry circuit, with the Ballydoyle maestro saddling 36 winners at this venue.

Jockeys to watch

Paul Townend now trails only Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty for winners at Listowel, with the reigning Irish champion jockey currently two shy of a half-century of winners at the Kerry venue.

It will be no shock should he cross that threshold at the Harvest Festival this year, given his boss Willie Mullins likes to target the meeting.

That the Closutton chief likes to be well represented in Listowel is further highlighted by the fact that Patrick Mullins is second on the five-year list of jumps jockeys, with 10 winners from 22 rides, and a strike-rate of 45 per cent at the track.

Keith Donoghue (6-32) is another rider with a solid record around Listowel.