Racing News

The Curragh Racecourse is delighted to announce a new collaboration with LFC Foundation, supported by the Kirkland Family, which will see one of the feature races on Juddmonte Irish Oaks Day, Saturday 18th July, sponsored in honour of the Foundation’s outstanding community work.

Champion trainer Aidan O’Brien attempts to extend his stellar record of 17 wins in Sunday’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby with four Ballydoyle representatives among the eight declared for the €1.25 million showpiece on Friday morning. Chester Vase winner Benvenuto Cellini, deemed a non-runner by the Epsom stewards after a starting stalls incident when the gate opened, heads the market ahead of his classic-winning stable companion and Epsom Derby winner Christmas Day.

Epsom Oaks heroine Thundering On is the star attraction on the second day of the Dubai Duty Free Derby Festival at the Curragh on Saturday when she will face nine rivals in the €400,000 Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes at 3.55pm. Her dam Thundering Nights carried the same Shapoor Mistry silks when she provided trainer Joseph O’Brien with his second Pretty Polly win in 2021 and she will be joined by stable companions’ Nyra, runner-up in the Munster Oaks, and Wemightakedlongway, a Group 3 winner last season.

The three-day Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby festival gets underway at the Curragh on Friday with an eight-race card starting at 4.33pm where a field of 20 will face the starter for the Fitzpatrick’s Mercedes-Benz Apprentice Derby at 6.45pm.

GAIN Equine Nutrition’s long-standing support of The Curragh Racecourse continues to shape the pathway for Ireland’s next generation of two-year-old talent, with the 2026 season building on a partnership in place since 2012. This year’s sponsorship was officially launched at the racing yard of leading trainer Jessica Harrington, a valued customer of GAIN Equine Nutrition, highlighting the brand’s close connection with those at the heart of Irish racing. The 2026 sponsorship features two key juvenile contests at The Curragh.

Three Days of World Class Racing, Style, Culture and Unmissable Experiences The Curragh Racecourse will once again take centre stage this summer as it hosts the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Festival, running from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th June 2026. As the jewel in Ireland’s Flat racing crown, the festival promises three extraordinary days that blend elite sport, contemporary Irish culture, exceptional hospitality, and a vibrant social scene, all set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most historic and revered racecourses.