Race type - Flat
Folkestone
Course details
GUIDE - For Racecourse
Right-handed, oval circuit of 1m3f, chute for races up to 7f and 2m1/2f.
Kent is known as the 'Garden of England' and its only racecourse, Folkestone, is certainly set in very pleasant surroundings, situated as it is on the eastern edge of the South Downs overlooking the English channel. It's actually closer to Westenhanger than Folkestone, which has its town centre about five miles away, and this is also the home of Westenhanger Castle, which provided the fortress for Queen Elizabeth I's army during the time of the Spanish Armada. The racecourse is a much more modern construction (circa 1898) and the only battle these days takes place in the betting ring, with 12 flat meetings staged between April and October.
Track / Draw Bias
There is a distinct bias on the straight course but much depends on the state of the ground. On very soft ground, the far rail rides faster than the stands' rail and those runners drawn on that side (low numbers) make a beeline for it. On ground that is good to soft or faster, the runners tend to stay close to the stands' rail and those drawn closest to it (high numbers) enjoy a significant advantage. Front runners are well worth considering at all distances.
Principal Races
Regular racegoers here are used to watching low grade horses in action with poor prize generally money to blame. It's rare for this to exceed £3k for winning connections, although they pushed the boat out a little for the 'British Stallion Studs Supporting British Racing EBF Fillies' Handicap', which carried prize money of £4,852 when it was last run in August 2011.
Course Characteristics
The flat course is an undulating oval with two sharpish turns; one as the runners go out into the back straight, the other as they turn into the home straight. There is a relatively short 3f run-in, which is extended at the far end by the addition of a chute, thus creating a straight course for races of up to 7f. It's fair to say that just about every type of horse can win here, although those that like to race close to the pace tend to win more races than they are entitled to. This applies to races on the round course and straight course.
Top Trainers
Champion trainer Richard Hannon leads the way numerically over the past five seasons with 16 winners on the board, these coming at a good strike rate of 23%. In 2011, he did even better with 33% of his runners being led into the winners' enclosure. Close behind him in the five-year table are John Dunlop and William Muir, both of whom should continue to be profitable to follow. Sir Henry Cecil doesn't run many horses here but when he does punters should take notice as he's operating at a strike rate of 30%. Two smaller stables worthy of a mention are those of Conor Dore and Clive Cox.
Top Jockeys
The success of Hannon is mirrored by his stable jockey Richard Hughes whose 15 winners since 2007 have come at an excellent strike rate of 33%. Kieren Fallon will only ride here if he thinks he has a chance of a winner and he's a good judge as his 2011 visits resulted in six of his 28 rides (21%) passing the post in front. Jim Crowley is considered by many people to be an all-weather jockey but he's a good judge of pace from the front wherever he rides, and his 13 winners here are evidence of that. The up-and-coming pair of Kieren O'Neil and Jack Mitchell impressed on more than occasion in 2011, with the latter's 56% strike rate (five winners from nine runners) a real eye opener.