Curragh

As part of the IRE Incentive Scheme, Curragh hosts the first juvenile race of the Irish racing season Saturday. The five-furlong test is sponsored by Castlefield Stud on behalf of G2 Mill Reef S. winner Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}--Suelita {GB}, by Dutch Art {GB}), who stands at the nursery for €5,000. Highlighting the sponsorship, the connections of the first season sire are offering a €100,000 bonus to the connections of the first black-type winner from the stallion's first crop of 2-year-olds. ''We have long-term ambitions, and we are going to...

Edited Press Release Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and Minister for State in Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon were interested observers at the Curragh last week as the racing industry's education and skills cohort showed off their wares. The event was hosted by equuip, Horse Racing Ireland's education and training department, and brought together many elements of the learning community in the racing and breeding industry. Minister Harris and Minster Heydon met students, apprentices and graduates from a host of industry...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations features a son of MG1SW Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). 1.25 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, 7fT BLUEGRASS (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is the first foal out of the G1 Commonwealth Cup and G1 Haydock Sprint Cup heroine Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) to race for Coolmore, who paid...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations features a daughter of G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Was (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). 1.35 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, f, 7fT CONCERT HALL (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) bids to build on a promising debut effort when second over what is probably an inadequate six-furlong trip at Fairyhouse 11 days previously...

Saturday's Curragh card which features the G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas is in doubt after 35 millimetres of rain hit the track overnight Thursday. With a morning inspection called, chief executive Pat Keogh is hoping for a turnaround with the course currently waterlogged in places. "We got a lot more rain than we anticipated overnight. We were forecast 15 millimetres at the most in the last 24 hours," he explained on Friday. "It's come completely out of left field, unfortunately. The track would not be raceable today. We'll just have...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Insights features a full-sister to Classic heroine Misty For Me (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). 1.40 Newbury, £6,400, 2yo, c/g, 6fT MUJBAR (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) debuts for Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum and Charlie Hills with more than an outside chance that he could be another sprinting star for the combination...

TRM will continue its partnership with The Curragh, including sponsoring a series of handicaps and the backing of a variety of stable staff initiatives. Those include Best Turned Out prizes culminating in a €1,000 winner at the end of the season. Each Best Turned Out winner will also receive a TRM-Curragh gilet, and August will be TRM Stable Staff Appreciation Month. TRM will also sponsor the Listed Waterford Testimonial S. on Oct. 11. Pat Keogh, chief executive officer of Curragh Racecourse, said, "We are hugely grateful to TRM for their...

Kitten's Joy's reputation hardly needed any further enhancements after the weekend, but another came nonetheless at The Curragh on Friday as his son Crossfirehurricane extended his perfect run in the G3 Coolmore Ten Sovereigns Gallinule S. Held up with one behind early by a confident Shane Crosse, Scott Heider's Feb. 28 Listed Patton S. winner was gradually unwound to reel in the G2 Beresford S. third Gold Maze (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) with 200 yards remaining en route to a 1 1/4-length success at 7-1, with Sherpa (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire})...

Sunday's Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup (2400m) at Sha Tin Racecourse is the last of 12 Group 1 events on the annual racing calendar in Hong Kong, one that has been significantly impacted first by social unrest in the region and more recently--and currently--by the COVID-19 pandemic. In many ways, Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) is emblematic of racing in the Special Administrative Region--a racehorse possessed of an iron constitution, showing up with his 'A' game time and again. One that can deliver his best even when the deck is...

The five individual trails of the 2019 Curragh Thoroughbred Trail, part of Longines Irish Champions Weekend, are now available to book online. The various Thoroughbred Trails--DK Weld, James Nash and Dick Brabazon; John Oxx and Willie McCreery; Michael Halford and Kildangan Stud; Johnny Murtagh, Conor O'Dwyer and Brendan Duke; Ken Condon and Martin Brassil--are located at The Curragh prior to racing on Sunday, Sept. 15, allowing racing fans to go behind the scenes accompanied by an expert guide, with light refreshments at The Curragh Racecourse prior to the start of...

Arlington's GI Secretariat S., contested at a mile and a quarter since 1985, has been turned back in distance to a one-mile event this year, and drew a competitive nine-horse field for Saturday's running at the Chicago area oval. True to form, Chad Brown has a pair of imposing runners in Peter Brant's Fog of War (War Front) and e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and Mike Ryan's Valid Point (Scat Daddy). Fog of War, who followed up a debut victory with a popular score in the GI Summer S. at Woodbine,...

Khalid Abdullah's unbeaten Siskin (First Defence) renews rivalry with 'TDN Rising Star' Monarch of Egypt (American Pharoah) in Friday's G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. at a Curragh venue currently threatened by the possibility of huge amounts of rain. First and second in the course-and-distance G2 Railway S. on fast ground on June 29, they are both bred to be compromised by the prospect of soft ground. Siskin, who also captured the May 24 Listed Marble Hill S. here, has two other Ballydoyle representatives to contend with including the G2 July S....