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Tue 19th Jan 2021

Good week for IHRB

Only two weeks ago the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) was on the backfoot. The organisation whose mission statement reads “ensuring the reputation of Irish horseracing and confidence in the sport is protected by robust and transparent regulatory practices, by a professional and progressive team” had looked less than professional in its defending of inaccurate race distances and inconsistent sanctions against trainers.

7.08PM
Fri 15th Jan 2021

Seáinín Mahon

I know how lucky I am to be Envoi Allen’s groom but I get nervous when it’s coming up to race time. Once the declarations came out for Sunday’s Grade 3 Sky Bet Killiney Novice Chase at Punchestown, I was studying the form and pestering Keith Donoghue, who rides him out, making sure he was okay.

1.29PM
Thu 14th Jan 2021

Bookmakers holding all the Aces

The perpetual tussle between punters and bookmakers is as old as time. But, while the bookmakers have always held the edge, that advantage is getting far more pronounced as technology and corporations replace the human face of the sole-trader bookie.

4.16PM
Thu 7th Jan 2021

Weather doing racing a favour

The recent cold snap is a blessing in disguise for the horse racing industry. With the spread of Covid out of control post-Christmas the last thing horse racing needed was mass outbreaks within its ranks and this week’s cancelled meetings have come at an opportune time.

2.28PM
Wed 6th Jan 2021

Rory Cleary

There probably haven’t been too many jockeys who rode in their first ever National Hunt races as professionals at the age of 33 but I won’t be making a full-time conversion from the Flat game.

4.16PM
Thu 31st Dec 2020

Denis O'Regan

What has been a good season so far continued nicely during the past week, and to have a big winner at Leopardstown and a Grade 2 at Limerick on what look to be nice horses was brilliant.

1.01PM
Sat 26th Dec 2020

Rachael discusses her rides at Leopardstown on Sunday

Rachael has six rides to look forward to at Leopardstown on Sunday. Below she’s shares her thoughts on the prospects for each mount.

9.07PM
Thu 24th Dec 2020

Matthew Smith

I know it has been a tough time for people with Covid-19 and it is worrying now again but I have to say we have been flat out since racing resumed in June. You couldn’t ask to be in a better place in these times than out on the gallops.

8.58PM
Sat 19th Dec 2020

Allbarone enjoys the softer ground

BetVictor Brand Ambassador Rachael Blackmore rode the impressive Bob Olinger to victory at Navan on Friday. Henry De Bromhead’s charge is fancied to have a big season as he competes at the very top of the novice hurdle division.

9.08PM
Thu 17th Dec 2020

Patrick O'Callaghan

As general manager of Limerick Racecourse, I am looking forward to our Christmas Festival immensely, and what a way for it to kick off with the Matchbook Betting Exchange Faugheen Novice Chase which is in its third year now as a Grade 1.

4.22PM
Fri 11th Dec 2020

Thrilled Captain Guinness got off the mark over fences

After another busy week it seems strange to have a rare Sunday with no jumps action, that said it will be a nice chance to catch my breath ahead of what should hopefully be a very busy Christmas time with plenty of big name horses that I am lucky enough to be able to look forward to riding.

9.37PM
Thu 10th Dec 2020

Patrick Mullins

This has been a good time of the year for me and it will be hard to replicate the Christmas I had last year, when I was lucky enough to have the chance to win Grade 1s on Faugheen in the Matchbook Betting Exchange Novice Chase at Limerick and Sharjah, repeating our Matheson Hurdle success of 12 months previously.

4.25PM
Fri 4th Dec 2020

I can't wait to ride Captain Guinness again on Sunday

It has been another successful week for BetVictor ambassador Rachael Blackmore and she reflects on that here as well as looking ahead to an extensive book of rides at Navan and Punchestown this weekend.

6.45PM
Marin Hassett

Martin Hassett

3.26PM

Fri 27th Nov 2020

I absolutely love riding Honeysuckle

BetVictor Brand Ambassador Rachael Blackmore arrives into the weekend with spirits still high after last week’s win on Minella Indo. It was a lovely jumping performance and it looks like the next stop could be the Savills Chase over Christmas before a tilt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

6.17PM
A delighted Rachael Blackmore after winning at Cheltenham on Honeysuckle

Kenny Alexander

3.38PM

Fri 20th Nov 2020

I can't wait to get back on Minella Indo on Sunday

BetVictor Brand Ambassador Rachael Blackmore looks set to have a very busy weekend with five rides at Naas on Saturday and another five rides on the BetVictor sponsored card at Navan on Sunday. The rider shares her thoughts on each mount here:

8.37PM
Robbie Power and Lostintranslation

Robbie Power

11.48AM

Fri 13th Nov 2020

I'm really looking forward to this weekend at Punchestown

Safe to say it's going to be a busy weekend and Saturday I have five rides at Punchestown that I am really looking forward to.

7.54PM
Sean O'keeffe

Sean O'Keeffe

2.57PM

Fri 6th Nov 2020

Great day's racing in store at Navan

Navan this Sunday looks set to be a fantastic day racing. It's a galloping track with a stiff finish, horses have to be tough to win around here.

7.36PM
Finny Maguire

Finny Maguire

9.47AM

Fri 30th Oct 2020

Great to have Minella Indo and Aspire Tower back on the track this week

It’s been a busy week but a good week. Minella Indo gave me a great spin at Wexford, if it wasn’t for my mask you would have seen me smiling broadly as we pulled up. He could be out again next month in the Grade Two at Navan which BetVictor sponsor but wherever he goes he is one you would really be looking forward to.

6.38PM
Simon Torrens

Simon Torrens

11.20AM

Fri 23rd Oct 2020

Tough time for Ireland moving to Level 5 but thankfully racing stays going

It’s been a tough week for a lot of people in our country with us moving to level 5 restrictions. There’s a massive amount of credit due to everyone involved in our industry for keeping racing going under a very strict set of protocols. Our Senior Medical Officer Jennifer Pugh has done incredible work and the whole weighing room is very grateful to her.

5.53PM
jack and Rock Chica jump the last hurdle at Tipperary

Jack Foley

9.26AM

Fri 16th Oct 2020

Henry's horses are in great form

So, it's been a good week having had 5 winners. Henry's horses are firing at the moment and it's great to be part of it. It was also special for me to ride a winner for Arthur Moore. I used to ride out for him when I was at UCD. On refection, I think the combination of riding out there and visiting nightclubs in Dublin are possibly the reason why I failed my exams!

8.48PM
Siobhan after riding her first winner aboard Magi Gal at Navan last year

Siobhán Rutledge

10.13AM

Fri 9th Oct 2020

Looking ahead to this weekend's racing

It was great to get Ask Cory’s head in front at Killarney on Monday. It was a first winner for the owners, so obviously a really special day for them. He travelled and jumped much better than the last day at Downpatrick to land his first win after knocking on the door a few times.

5.03PM
Thu 8th Oct 2020

Jody Townend

It was mighty watching Princess Zoe power up the straight in Longchamp under Joey Sheridan to win the Group 1 Prix du Cadran for Tony Mullins, Paddy Kehoe and Philomena Crampton.

11.54AM
Mon 5th Oct 2020

irishracing.com update

For the first time, since its inception 30 years ago, Irishracing.com is no longer a part of the Irish Times Group. The website which began with basic Irish racing fixture information and race cards under the domain name irish-racing.com has developed over the years into the resource you see today.

8.40AM
Fri 2nd Oct 2020

Lorna Fowler

We were delighted to see Colonel Mustard get off the mark at the second attempt in Wednesday’s bumper at Punchestown in such good style, winning by four and a half lengths. It’s a good boost as Lady Heath contests the Listed mares’ bumper at Gowran Park this evening (Friday).

12.44PM
Sun 27th Sep 2020

Sorry About That Chief

I have Writers Block on my mind. If you don't remember, Writers Block was a 50-1 no-hoper in an amateur rider's race at Leopardstown seven years ago. His rider bounced him out, secured a distance lead by halfway and the opposition never got close. The five riders that let him off each got four days for \"not taking reasonable measures to give their horses every opportunity of winning.\" Things have changed since then judged by Costalotmore's win at Listowel.

9.50PM
Fri 25th Sep 2020

Ray Hogan

It was fantastic to return to race riding at Listowel on Monday for the first time in 15 years and while it would have been great to mark it with a winner, and I got very close, you couldn’t give out when Mark O’Hare was retiring off the back of nailing me inside the final furlong on Jesse Evans.

2.02PM
Mon 21st Sep 2020

Legacy

Pat Smullen was one of the good guys. In a game containing more than its share of two-faced, main-chance merchants, the nine-times champion jockey was a transparently decent person. That Pat was a man of integrity has been a common thread as so many have struggled to come to terms with his devastating loss aged just 43. But it's only one part of a colossal legacy.

9.12AM
Fri 18th Sep 2020

Andrew Slattery

I always say a prayer to my grandmother before every race. Wednesday was the first day I had two people to pray to, after Pat Smullen died the night before. No Patience got up to win by a nose for my father Andy. I texted Kevin O’Ryan, who is my agent and Pat’s brother-in-law.

12.07PM
Sun 13th Sep 2020

Champions Weekend Cost

All sorts of facts and figures have emerged from 'Irish Champions Weekend' but perhaps the most stark is the estimated €8 million hole in racing's economy created from it being held behind closed doors. It underlines how these two special days took place under the grim pall of coronavirus and the potential economic impact of this disease on who knows how many days to come.

10.08PM
Fri 11th Sep 2020

Shane Foley

People come into racing from all walks of life and it is great that you don’t have to come from a background in the sport or industry to make a success of it.

10.07AM
Sun 6th Sep 2020

Too Much Of A Good Thing

All bets are off in a pandemic. Just getting the job done is the priority. So the usual parameters can get parked ahead of 'Irish Champions Weekend,' apart from one perhaps. Between 'Champions Weekend,' the Doncaster Leger and 'Arc Trials' day nine Group One races will be crammed into two days. For racing's overall profile that surely smacks of overkill whatever the circumstances.

10.16PM
Fri 4th Sep 2020

Johnny Murtagh

It is really exciting to be looking forward to the Longines Irish Champions Weekend with the horses in good form and hopefully a couple of chances of recording a win which would crown a very good year.

12.33PM
Sun 30th Aug 2020

Reset

Ireland's Covid-19 restrictions are among the most prescriptive in Europe. You can agree or disagree with them and rising infection rates in recent weeks suggest an argument can be made either way. But it is the government stance and doesn't appear likely to change anytime soon. That makes comparisons to other jurisdictions and how they do things largely futile. So it's no bad thing to keep in mind sometimes how racing here continues to be ahead of the game.

9.29PM
Fri 28th Aug 2020

Johnny Feane

2020 will be remembered for a lot of strange reasons, but for me there will be a lot to take out of it, most especially training my first ever stakes winner.

11.50AM
Sun 23rd Aug 2020

Hold Your Whisht

Political fallout from the last few days indicates how offensive any smell of elitism can be to the public. An Oireachtas golf society dinner including a cabinet minister, a Supreme Court judge and an EU Commissioner sounds just the sort of thing to contain 80 people convinced they are exceptional enough to trample on the Covid-19 regulations. But such exceptionalism is a tough sell to the rest of us, a point racing will do well to keep in mind.

10.08PM
Fri 21st Aug 2020

Nikita Kane

People often wonder where I got my first name from, thinking there is some Russian blood in the family or something. The truth of it is that Daddy just loved the Elton John song so much, he named me after it. Everybody thinks I’m not Irish but I’m an Offaly woman true and true, from Birr.

11.53AM
Sun 16th Aug 2020

Strange Times

Covid is turning out to be far worse than we could have ever imagined. The disease itself is bad enough but the way we as a society are dealing with it is becoming increasingly bizarre and illogical.

11.43AM
Fri 14th Aug 2020

Dylan Browne McMonagle

Hamley brought up my eighth winner of the year at Leopardstown last night and you would have to say that things are going well for me at the moment. Hopefully it keeps up.

10.07AM
Sat 8th Aug 2020

Bi-Monthly Awards

That's been some two months since racing resumed behind closed doors. Maybe only time will provide enough perspective for racing to comprehend the full impact of the coronavrus pandemic on its own tiny corner. There's already plenty to reflect on and the new tri-county lockdown that includes Kildare indicates how this 'new norm' might be anything but temporary. Still, let's hope these new Bi-Monthly awards wind up being a one-off.

1.47PM
Fri 7th Aug 2020

Gavin Ryan

It has been great to keep the momentum of a good season going through an unforgettable Galway, and an equally memorable week to date.

9.27AM
Sun 2nd Aug 2020

Broad Brush Business

People have learned to be grateful for small mercies in recent months so this week's government announcement about a potential increase in permitted outdoor crowd sizes is eagerly awaited. Any assumption it was a done deal vanished with news of increased coronavirus numbers in recent days. An increase in attendance from 200 to 500 doesn't sound much. Crowds of up to 5,000 have been permitted in parts of France for weeks. But the impact on Irish racing's morale would be significant.

10.03PM
Fri 31st Jul 2020

Tony Mullins

Galway has been a lucky place for me and Paddy Kehoe has been a lucky owner so it was great that it came together there again for the two of us on Monday, when Princess Zoe won the Connacht Hotel Amateur Handicap on Monday evening.

12.45PM
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