Curragh Racecourse
The Curragh is probably the most significant racecourse in Ireland. Dedicated to Flat horse racing and located in County Kildare. The Irish meaning of the Curragh means ‘place of the running horse’. This right-handed galloping course follows a horseshoe shape with a testing uphill finish. It has a full circuit of 2-miles and a 1-mile chute. Race distances range from 5f – 2-miles 1-furlong.
The Curragh racecourse has a long history dating back to 1727.
As any race fan know, this is the home of some truly amazing race including 5 Classics: Irish 1000 Guineas, Irish 2000 Guineas, Irish Derby, Irish Oaks & Irish St Leger. These Group 1 races have seen exceptional winners. Who could forget these 10 super stars:
Galileo – Irish Derby 2001
Nijinsky – Irish Derby 1970
Shergar – Irish Derby 1981
Salsabil – Irish Derby 1990
Attraction – Irish 1000 Guineas 2004
Ouij Board – Irish Oaks 2004
Camelot – Irish Derby 2012
Kingman – Irish 2000 Guineas 2014
Enable – Irish Oaks 2017
The Minstrel – Irish Derby 1997
Just a selection of personal favourites. Basically, the best horses to set hoof on track anywhere in the world.
The racing season starts in March and concludes in October. There are 23 days racing including 11 Group 1 races.
The first Irish Derby took place in 1866.
The Curragh Racecourse has ample horse training facilities covering 1500 acres. This includes 70 miles of turf gallops. In addition, 12 miles of peat gallops and 8 all-weather courses. There is an old woodchip gallop over 9-furlongs.
While horse racing is synonymous with The Curragh it has other notable landmarks including The Boardwalk and ‘Stairway to Heaven’, Cuilcagh Mountain, Giant’s Grave & Giant’s Cave, Marbel Arch Cave & Japanese Gardens.
The population of County Kildare is about 250,000. The average racecourse attendance for a major fixture such as the Irish Derby is 12,000.
The Curragh is the most famous of all Irish racecourses and well worth a visit. It has a rich history of racing and home of the Irish National Stud which houses some of the leading sires in the world Elusive Pimpernel, Equiano, Invincible Spirit, Lucky Vega, Mac Swiney, Nando Parrado & Pheonix Of Spain.
For more information take a look at The Curragh website or social media including Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin & Twitter.