Leopardstown Racecourse

Second in Leopardstown's G1 Coolmore America Justify Matron S. when just running out of runway in the one-mile contest last term, Paddy Twomey trainee Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}--Pearl Banks {GB}, by Pivotal {GB}) left nothing to chance in this year's renewal back at the Foxrock venue and led every step of the way this time around to secure her first victory at the highest level. The Matron victory also booked Pearls Galore's ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland in November. Haras de...

Irish Champions Weekend got under way with Leopardstown's €100,000 Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle S. over seven furlongs, for 2-year-old fillies, which went the way of Ger Lyons and Colin Keane for a second straight edition after Juddmonte's Zarinsk (GB) (Kodiac {GB}--Pavlosk, by Arch) posted a 2 1/2-length success from Library (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Zarinsk, who backed up a May 22 debut success at the Curragh with a fourth in the G2 Airlie Stud S. back there the following month, was unable to feature at the business end of...

Before the sad news broke of The Queen's passing on Thursday, the final fields were drawn for Leopardstown's G1 Irish Champion S. and Doncaster's G1 Cazoo St Leger. There will be seven contenders for the Irish Champion, while if racing continues in Britain on Saturday--a statement is due from the BHA on Friday--there will be nine heading to post for the world's oldest Classic. The Aga Khan's G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Eclipse hero Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) will depart from stall two in the Irish Champion, with...

A total of 16 participants will line up for the 2022 Corinthian Challenge Charity Race Series, announced officials from the Irish Injured Jockeys Fund. The riders taking part are: Jane Davis, Neil Durkan, Peter O'Reilly, Joan Tyner, Craig Kileff, Laura Bennett, Stan Begley, Sonya Mc Aleer, Maia O'Connor Kridichart, Michelle O'Brien, Darren Harrison, Marie Vallet, Laura Burnett, Fiona Dowling, Emer Lawlor and Dean Ryan. After a two-year break, the series is comprised of three races held at The Curragh, Gowran Park and Leopardstown Racecourses in July, September and October, respectively....

Aidan O'Brien trainee Alfred Munnings (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}--Best In The World {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) was all the rage for Friday's seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Leopardstown and justified market support, and then some, with a dominant debut performance, earning a TDN Rising Star rosette by 4 1/2 lengths on his birthday. The stable had won the contest in recent years with G1 Dewhurst S.-winning sire War Command (War Front) and G2 Vintage S.-winning sire War Decree (War Front) and also prepared Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to finish...

Coolmore and Westerberg's sophomore filly Above The Curve (American Pharoah) caught the eye when overcoming a slow getaway to finish strongly for third in a one-mile Leopardstown maiden last October. Back at the Foxrock venue for Wednesday's 10-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden, a contest won in 2019 by MG1SW distaffer Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal), she stamped her class on a field stacked with well-bred individuals to earn 'TDN Rising Star' status with an eyecatching display. The 6-5 favourite was more in focus at the break this time and settled...

GAIN Equine Nutrition has extended its support of 'GAIN The Advantage Series' for a second year. In 2021, Toomevara trainer Ray Hackett won the overall trainers award and €5,000 of GAIN Equine Nutrition products. The 2022 series will follow the same format, featuring a variety of race conditions with an increase prize fund of 50% for each race in the series. Each trainer will receive points for their successes over the course of the series through a grading process, which is designed to give equal opportunity to each trainer to...

Leopardstown Racecourse appointed Jane Hedley as its new Racing and Operations Manager, a position she will take up during the forthcoming National Hunt season and Dublin Racing Festival. A former marketing and nominations executive for Shadwell and yard manager at Mark Johnston Racing for six years, she also served as Clerk of the Course Warwick, Nottingham and Market Rasen racecourses, in addition to positions at Jockey Club Racecourses, including Newmarket, Cheltenham and Aintree. More recently, Hedley was interim general manager at Nottingham. "Jane is hugely experienced, passionate, highly knowledgeable and...

He may have been niggled along earlier than ideal, but Coolmore and Westerberg's hitherto unraced Star of India (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) produced a finishing burst stamped with class and outpointed his rivals in style to earn 'TDN Rising Star' status in Saturday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF (C & G) Maiden over seven furlongs at Leopardstown. The 5-1 chance broke well to track the leaders in fourth and required mild urging to remain in contact rounding the home turn. Making eyecatching headway out wide in the straight, he quickened in some...

Saturday's G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown may have been short on quantity, but was certainly not lacking in quality as Coolmore's St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) maintained his winning streak at the highest level with a fifth such triumph in a thrilling finale to the €1,000,000 10-furlong contest. Backing up a juvenile high in Newmarket's G1 Dewhurst S., the 3-year-old bay has carried all before him during a banner sophomore campaign,  which has also witnessed victories in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains, G1 Prix du Jockey Club...

Jessica Harrington trainee No Speak Alexander (Ire) (Shalaa {Ire}) came back off a break to finish 10th behind the reopposing G1 1000 Guineas heroine Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in last month's G1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville and stepped forward to shock a stellar field in Saturday's G1 Coolmore America 'Justify' Matron S. at Leopardstown. She had previously backed up a solid five-race juvenile campaign to snag The Curragh's May 3 Athasi S. on seasonal return and hit the board back there in the May 23 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas...

Leading up to Thursday's G3 Grant Thornton Ballyroan S. at Leopardstown, Dermot Weld raised concerns that star distaffer Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal)) may not be as forward as in previous years, but His Highness The Aga Khan's 5-year-old showed little sign of ring-rustiness and plundered the Foxrock card's 12-furlong feature by daylight. The homebred chestnut enjoyed a banner 2020 season, going unbeaten through a four-race campaign which included wins in the G1 Prix Vermeille, G1 Prix de l'Opera and GI Breeders' Cup Turf. Sent postward as the heavily backed 1-2 favourite,...