Horse Racing - Flat Courses - Thirsk

Racing takes place throughout the summer at Thirsk with the highlight being the Thirsk Hunt Cup. Open to older horses and run over a mile usually at the start of May, the race usually attracts a sizable field.

The Michael Dods-trained Osteophathic Remedy has been a standing dish in the race in recent years, winning in 2010 and then finishing 6th, 2nd, 6th, 4th and 3rd in the five subsequent renewals. He was particularly unfortunate in 2012, when he finished second to the future Lockinge and Champion Stakes winner Farhh.



The North Yorkshire track also stages a useful Conditions Stakes. Run over six furlongs for older horses each April, the Michael Foster Conditions Stakes has been won by smart sprinters Markab and Heaven’s Guest in recent years. Given its close proximity to the Malton and Middleham training centres, the course is popular with many leading Northern trainers.

The round course is a left-handed, oval track, just over a mile and a quarter in extent, with a run-in of half a mile. There is a straight six-furlong course, which is slightly undulating throughout. The round course itself is almost perfectly flat, but though the turns are relatively easy and the ground well levelled all round, the track is on the sharp side and by no means ideal for a horse that requires time to settle down, and time and space to get down to work in the straight.

Left Handed
Tight
Slightly undulating
Long run in (4f)

Warwick

Handicaps C&D winners.

Non-Handicaps There is often false favourites.