The Curragh Training Grounds have enjoyed fantastic success in 2009 justifying the substantial investment to upgrade the facilities in the past couple of years. Not alone is Sea The Stars trained on the Curragh, but so have other Group 1 winners this year including Alandi, Kingsfort, Termagant and Casual Conquest.
In the last five years virtually every gallop on the Curragh has undergone a successful upgrade. There are sand gallops, sand and fibre gallops, numerous woodchip gallops, a polytrack gallop, an all-weather schooling strip , together with about 60 miles of grass gallops, between the Flat Rath, Walshes Hill and some external areas we operate also. The surface will be an all weather Cushion Track Premier Surface that won't freeze so will be able to use it through the frost and the very heavy ground, and when it's hard in the summer.
In addition to the major flat racing successes, the extensive facilities available to National Hunt trainers have also paid dividends. Champion Hurdler Hardy Eustace, Numbersixvalverde winner of the Aintree Grand National and Captain Cee Bee are all recent high profile winners, while both Papillion and Moscow Flyer were regular visitors to the Curragh during their big race preparations in addition to Brave Inca.
For the outside trainers or people that are not resident within sort of 20 miles of the Curragh, they are charged on a per-use basis, but that depends on what they do and what time they come at.
Charges would vary from €60 to €80 depending on whether they come early or late in the morning. The idea is to encourage the outside horses to come in the latter half of the morning as it allows the trainers who are based here to use the facility and provides the opportunity to get out and maintain the gallops The future for the Curragh looks very bright and certainly the recent major investment made encourage more people to have their horses trained at what is undoubtedly one of the world's premier Thoroughbred training centres. Please see our website www.curraghtraininggrounds.ie.
The Curragh is also home to 54 licenced trainers who have access to a variety of training facilities, including some of the best grass and all weather gallops in Europe. Leading trainers including Dermot Weld, John Oxx, Michael Grassick, Mick Halford, Dessie Hughes, Christy Roche, Kevin Prendergast, Jim Gorman, Dessie Hughes, Christy Roche, Paul Deegan, Edward Harty are based at the Curragh.
Numerous international classic and Group one winners have been trained by Curragh based trainers in recent years, these have included:
- Irish 2000 Guineas – Nicoli, Dickens Hill, Pampapaul, Flash of Steel Dara Monarch
- Irish 1000 Guineas – Arctique Royale, Ridgewood Pearl, Trusted Partner, Nightime
- English 1000 Guineas - Noctural Spree
- English 2000 Guineas - Nebbiolo, Refuse to Bend, Sea The Stars
- Epsom Derby – Sinndar, Sea The Stars
- Italian Derby - In A Tiff
- National Stakes Kingsfort, Refuse to Bend, Sinndar
- Moyglare Stud Stakes – Termagant, Miss Beatrix, Chelsea Rose, Preseli
- Belmont Stakes - Go and Go
- Ascot Gold Cup - Enzeli
- Darley Irish Oaks - Winona, Ebadiyla, Dance Design
- Irish St Leger – Kastoria, Vinnie Roe, Oscar Schindler, Vintage Crop, Alandi
- Irish Champion Stakes - Timarida, Alamshar, Sea The Stars
- Breeders Cup Mile - Ridgewood Pearl
- Irish Derby - Alamshar, Sinndar, Grey Swallow,
- Melbourne Cup - Media Puzzle, Vintage Crop
- Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – Sinndar, Sea The Stars
- King George and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes - Alamshar
- Champion Hurdle - Hardy Eustace
- Cheltenham Gold Cup- Davy Lad
- Aintree Grand National – Numbersixvalverde
- Irish Grand National - Numbersixvalverde, Perris Valley
- Tatteralls Gold Cup –Grey Swallow, Rebelline, Dance Design
- Irish Oaks – Winona, Ebadiyla, Dance Design
- English Oaks Blue Wind, Noblesse
