Get to know your tracks: top Irish racecourse insight from our expert

Betting on Racing is an app-exclusive daily punting guide from three of the Racing Post's most renowned experts: Tom Segal, Paul Kealy and David Jennings. A new instalment will be published every weekday for the next three weeks.

Leopardstown is an extremely fair jumps track, although it does take a bit of jumping on the chase course with the five fences in a line down the back straight, but there have been so many hard-luck stories penned on the Flat track there.

You need plenty of luck in running in Flat races if you are on a hold-up performer drawn low at Leopardstown. The pacesetters tend to hug the inside rail and it doesn't always open up behind.

The 2021 Matron Stakes on Irish Champion Stakes day is a perfect example. No Speak Alexander made a dart for the rail after getting to the front entering the final furlong and those in behind had nowhere to go. With a clear run, the favourite Mother Earth possibly would have won.

Christophe Soumillon learned that in the Irish Champion last month. Coral-Eclipse winner Vadeni was sent off 7-4 favourite but he got little room to manoeuvre up the straight and Luxembourg got first run. He was beaten a length and three-quarters and, while he might not have won with a clear run, it would certainly have been far more interesting.

My point is, I would rather take a short price about a hold-up performer at the Curragh than I would at Leopardstown. There are far fewer hard-luck stories at the Curragh and it is a much fairer track. The best horse wins at least nine times out of ten there. The same cannot be said of Leopardstown.

There are other nuggets worth remembering. Given how sharp Kilbeggan is, you would think it favours front-runners or speedier types, but what often tends to happen is they get racing far too early and races change complexion on the final circuit. In-running players have their fingers burned there time and time again.

I love prominent-racers at Ballinrobe, especially over hurdles, but I would rarely be interested in front-runners at Wexford. That is not an easy track at which to make all.

Switching to the Flat, you might be thrilled to see the horse you fancy drawn in stall one at Navan in a sprint but they tend to come down the middle of the track and the nearer you are to the stands' side rail the better.

The first six home in the opening 5½f sprint maiden at Navan last Wednesday week were drawn 19-12-18-15-16-17. Mile End, who won the nursery over the same trip, was drawn eight of 12 on the same card, while Rough Diamond – successful in the 5½f handicap – came out of stall ten.

Another important thing to note is how heavy certain tracks can get. Heavy ground at Thurles or Clonmel tends to be much harder work than heavy ground at Leopardstown or Fairyhouse. You need guaranteed mud-lovers to cope with conditions when it gets very deep at Thurles and Clonmel. 

There is no GoingStick used in Ireland so that makes judging conditions trickier for punters, so take note of what jockeys say about it after the opening race.

Read more in our Betting on Racing series:

Paul Kealy: 'I couldn't imagine trying to tip or bet without them' - the importance of race replays    

Tom Segal: the importance of good jockeys and why they matter    

David Jennings: put in the hard yards and stick to what you're good at