Race type - Jump
Ludlow
Course details
Situated in rural Shropshire, just a few miles from the Welsh border and the historic town which gives the course its name, Ludlow is the quintessential 'countryside' track and, despite some recent modernisation, there is still enough antiquated furniture on display to make racegoers think they have taken a step back into the time of Edwardian England.
GUIDE - For Racecourse
Right-handed, flat, oval circuit of about 1m4f.
Situated in rural Shropshire, just a few miles from the Welsh border and the historic town which gives the course its name, Ludlow is the quintessential 'countryside' track and, despite some recent modernisation, there is still enough antiquated furniture on display to make racegoers think they have taken a step back into the time of Edwardian England. The racing goes back even further with the first recorded meeting being held in 1729 for flat horses and it remained as a flat only venue until the mid-nineteenth century when hurdle races were introduced. These days, the course stages jumps racing only throughout the winter months.
Principal Races
The racing is well patronised by trainers but the quality of horses taking part is modest to fair at best. That said, there are a number of sponsored handicap chases carrying decent prize money throughout the winter season, including the Fobra Gold Challenge Cup in early March and The Prince Of Wales Challenge Trophy for amateur riders in January. Little known fact: the current Prince of Wales finished second in a chase here in 1980 during his short flirtation with being a jockey.
Course Characteristics
One of the unique characteristics of Ludlow is the ground, which is rarely resting due to the free-draining sandy sub-soil. The going description, therefore, often features the word 'firm' or at worst 'good' in the description, so trainers will look to run their top of the ground performers here. Due to the quick conditions, races tend to be run in a good time and those horses that like to race prominently have a good record. They are aided by the sharp, right-handed turns, which are most pronounced on the chase track, that being situated on the inside of the hurdles track. Once into the home straight, however, they have to encounter the long run-in of 450 yards and this brings stamina more into play.
Top Trainers
Welsh trainer Evan Williams does best here numerically but he's not a trainer to follow blindly as he likes to give his more modest horses an outing around here and his strike rate (currently 16%) suffers as a result. Nicky Henderson, on the other hand, is operating at a strike rate of 38%, although many of his winners tend to be short prices. The Tony McCoy-Jonjo O'Neil combo is lethal around here and backers of the stable's runners would have enjoyed a level stakes profit of over £30 in the last five seasons. Anything trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies and Philip Hobbs is worth a second look, and a special note should be made of any horses making the trip from the Oxfordshire base of Paul Webber (4 winners at a strike rate of 36% in the current season).
Top Jockeys
Champion jockey Tony McCoy has enjoyed considerable success here with a strike rate of 31% over the past five seasons. Most of his winners these days will be trained by his boss Jonjo O'Neil, but he's a 'job jockey' and boots home plenty of winners for the smaller stables too. Paul Moloney, the retained rider of Evan Williams, is on the majority of the stable's winners here, while Richard Johnson and Noel Fehily can also be relied upon by punters. Special note should be made when crack Irish jockey Barry Geraghty takes a mount here as his 12 winners were achieved at a strike rate of 40%.