Records show that a three-day festival took place here as far back as 1732, and the locality has a very strong racing tradition.
The highlight of the modern calendar is the Kinloch Brae Chase usually held in late January/early February where top class fields have become the norm.
Thurles is a right-handed, undulating track, which is oval in shape. The distance is roughly one mile and two furlongs, and there is a fairly steep uphill finish. The bends are quite sharp, and the course suits the handier type of horse. On the chase course, there are seven fences to a circuit. There are no significant draw statistics on the flat.
Be very careful when backing the flat favourite here, as they have one of the worst records in Ireland at just 23%. That figure is far more respectable over jumps at 32.6%. Indeed, non-handicap chase favourites have a fantastic strike-rate of 46%, and have shown a healthy profit if backed over the past five years.
Willie Mullins is a trainer to note here and shown a win-rate of one in five on average. Ruby Walsh, a regular jockey for Mullins, has a 22% strike-rate at Thurles, but prices on the horses he rides are often restrictive - so it's difficult to make money when following them.
Previous course form can be significant, with 13.6% of National Hunt horses going on to win again on their return. The data sample from the flat is too small to draw any meaningful conclusions.