Irish Stallion Trail

Jim Bolger has encouraged breeders and racing fans alike to pay a visit to his Classic-winning homebred Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) at the Irish National Stud and promised 'they won't be disappointed' by what they see.  The two-day Irish Stallion Trail kicks off on Friday and Bolger is backing Mac Swiney to go down a bomb. The legendary trainer also revealed that he plans on supporting the Group 1-winning two-year-old and Irish 2,000 Guineas hero with 20 mares in his first season at stud. Bolger said, "He's the...

There is an undertone of negativity surrounding horseracing these days, almost all of which is generated by its participants and followers, and greatly exacerbated by the increasingly unpleasant arena that is social media. Where once Twitter was fun and we all gained excellent insight into trainers' yards and, for some, their sense of humour, now X marks the spot at which we should perhaps consciously uncouple from twits and trolls. Let's get out more. And where better to start than by hitching a ride on the stallion trails? This Friday...

A portion of the world's best sires will be on show at the ITM Irish Stallion Trail, taking place on Friday January 12 and Saturday January 13, 2024. In what will be the tenth edition of the Trail, breeders, racing professionals, and racing fans will enjoy the opportunity to view many of the world's leading Flat and National Hunt stallions at a wide range of Ireland's breed-shaping stallion farms.  ITM CEO Charles O'Neill, commented, "Ireland's stallion roster gets stronger by the year and offers breeders the world over an array...

Better than 30 stallion farms in Ireland are set to greet the public during Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM)'s Irish Stallion Trail, to be staged Friday and Saturday, Jan. 13 and 14, 2023. The Trail was limited to the breeding industry only in 2022 due to COVID-19, but will offer breeders, racing professionals, and racing fans the opportunity to view some of the world's leading Flat and National Hunt stallions at Ireland's outstanding thoroughbred breeding facilities free of any restrictions. "We are delighted that the ITM Irish Stallion Trail will once...

Having taken place as a virtual event last year when played out solely on social media, the ITM Irish Stallion Trail returned by popular demand this week, though attendance was limited to those directly involved in the breeding industry. As a seasoned trail-hopper who has partaken in each event since its inception seven years ago, my preferred modus operandi in order to see as many stallions as possible is to be at Coolmore Stud for the opening 10 a.m. show and make my way back towards Dublin from there via...

The Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Irish Stallion Trail will return on Jan. 14 and 15, having taken place in a virtual format in 2021. More than 20 stallion farms are set to participate in the free event, with visitors asked to register which studs they intend to visit on the ITM website. Registration will open in mid-November, and it is mandatory to register for a specific date and time slot for Coolmore Stud. "It is great to have the ITM Irish Stallion Trail back in its usual format for 2022," said...

In a normal year Irish stallion farms would be opening their doors this week to thousands of people traversing the Irish countryside enjoying the ITM Irish Stallion Trail. Of course present circumstances have put a stop to that happening this year but like so many other events that have been adversely affected by Covid-19 the action has moved online. It may not be quite the same as the real thing but at least the efforts of the ITM team in capturing some excellent footage of new and established stallions and...

The 2021 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Irish Stallion Trail will be held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ITM announced on Wednesday. Instead, the event has been branded the ITM Irish Stallion Showcase, a digital and media event highlighting the success and appeal of Irish stallion farms. There will be videos from a range of Irish stallion farms, social media content, and an ad campaign which will be released from mid-December 2020, with a concentrated period of content going out from Jan. 11-16. "The ITM Irish Stallion Trail has become...

It is hard to believe this is the fifth year in a row I have traversed rural Ireland on the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Irish Stallion Trail, and while it represents a unique chance for the general public who are interested in the bloodstock industry to get a glimpse of some household stallion names, for me personally it provides a lovely opportunity to see the new kids on the block who will be covering mares for the first time this spring. The majority of these are not long out of competition...