The Curragh Racecourse today announced an increased prize fund for the Irish 1000 and 2000 Guineas and the Tattersalls Gold Cup to be run in May 2022 as the feature races of a three-day Irish Guineas Festival meeting. This has been made possible through the increased support of Tattersalls, Europe’s leading bloodstock sales company, whose support includes sponsorship of three Group 1 races – the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas, the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas and the Tattersalls Gold Cup.
The Tattersalls Irish Guineas Festival takes place over three days from Friday May 20 to Sunday May 22, 2022 with the Tattersalls 2000 Guineas on the Saturday and the Tattersalls 1000 Guineas and Tattersalls Gold Cup on Sunday. The full race schedule for all three days will be announced in the new year.
Prizemoney for the Tattersalls Irish 1000 and 2000 Guineas is supported by Horse Racing Ireland, the Curragh Racecourse and Tattersalls, with both races increasing in value next year from €400,000 to €500,000, while the Tattersalls Gold Cup will be worth €400,000 in 2022, an increase of €100,000 from 2021.
This year, the Jim Bolger-trained Mac Swiney gave jockey Rory Cleary his first Classic success in the Tattersalls 2000 Guineas, beating English 2000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare, while Empress Josephine landed the Tattersalls 1000 Guineas to give trainer Aidan O’Brien a remarkable tenth success in the race.
The Tattersalls Gold Cup saw Helvic Dream give trainer Noel Meade a day he will never forget with his first Group 1 success on the Flat, beating the odds-on favourite Broome.
The first entry stage for both Classics closed recently and features some of the highest rated two-year-olds in training.
Luxembourg, Native Trial, Modern Games, Dubai Legend, Royal Patronage, Go Bears Go, Angel Bleu and Duke De Sessa feature among the entries for the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas, while Agartha, Discoveries, Inspiral, Sandrine, Tenebrism and Sacred Bridge are among the eight three fillies entered in the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas. There is a second entry stage for both Classics on April 6.
Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony, said: “To see the prizemoney for all three Tattersalls sponsored Group 1 races at the Tattersalls Irish Guineas Festival increase by a total of €300,000 is fantastic news for Irish racing and reflects the status of the Tattersalls Irish Guineas Festival as one of the most prestigious race meetings in the European calendar. The Tattersalls sponsorship of these three great races demonstrates our continued commitment to Irish racing and we are already looking forward to three competitive races which will without doubt be amongst the highlights of our global race sponsorship portfolio."
Curragh Racecourse Chief Executive Brian Kavanagh, said: “The Curragh has had a long and successful partnership with Tattersalls who have been sponsors with us since 1984. We are delighted that they have agreed to continue their sponsorship and increase their support in 2022 – it is greatly appreciated within Irish racing. The Guineas meeting is the start of the Classic season in Ireland and it is important that our Group 1 Races offer prizemoney which is attractive to the best horses and on a par with our international equivalents. With the support of Tattersalls and Horse Racing Ireland, the Curragh is committed to doing that. Next year the Guineas Festival will be a three-day meeting and the team at the Curragh are working on some exciting plans for the event which will be announced in the new year.”