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Sapphire Stakes (Ireland)
The Sapphire Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in July. The event was established in 2001, and it was originally classed at Listed level. For several years it was registered as the Richard H. Faught Memorial Stakes. It was renamed the Sapphire Stakes and promoted to Group 3 status in 2008. It was raised to Group 2 level in 2015. The Sapphire Stakes was originally part of the Curragh's three-day Irish Derby Festival meeting. In 2015 it was moved to the Irish Oaks meeting and it is currently held on the second day, the day after the Irish Oaks. Records Most successful horse (2 wins): * Benbaun – ''2005, 2009'' Leading jockey (3 wins): * Johnny Murtagh – ''Deportivo (2003), Snaefell (2007), Definightly (2012)'' Leading trainer (2 wins): * Michael Halford – ''Snaefell ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curragh Racecourse
The Curragh Racecourse -- usually referred to as simply the Curragh -- is one of Ireland's most important Thoroughbred racecourses. It is situated on the Curragh plain in County Kildare, between the towns of Newbridge and Kildare. History The name "Curragh" comes from the Irish language word ''Cuirreach'', meaning "place of the running horse". The first recorded race on the plain took place in 1727, but it was used for races before then. The first Derby was held in 1866, and in 1868 the Curragh was officially declared a horse racing and training facility by act of parliament. Racecourse redevelopment Redevelopment of the Curragh grandstand and racecourse facilities began in 2017 with completion due in time for commencement of the 2019 Irish Flat season. A truncated racing fixture list continued to be held at the course during this period with temporary facilities in place for the public. Racing The Curragh is a right-handed track, horseshoe and galloping in nature wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dermot Weld
Dermot K. Weld (born 29 July 1948), a former jockey is one of Ireland's most successful racehorse trainers. He holds the record for the most winners trained in Ireland (2,578 set in August 2000). Weld maintains his stable, Rosewell House, in Curragh, Ireland. He is married, with two sons. Irish bookmakers, Paddy Power, tried to launch a campaign to change the name of the Galway Races to the Dermot Weld Retirement Fund Races; however, it proved to be unsuccessful. He was played by Brendan Gleeson in the feature film '' The Cup''. Education Educated at Newbridge College, a qualified veterinarian ( UCD 1970). In 2016, Weld was awarded UCD Alumnus of the Year in Veterinary Medicine. Major wins Ireland * Irish 1000 Guineas - (5) - '' Prince's Polly (1982), Trusted Partner (1988), Nightime (2006), Bethrah (2010), Homeless Songs (2022)'' * Irish 2000 Guineas - (1) - ''Flash of Steel (1986)'' * Irish Derby - (3) - ''Zagreb (1996), Grey Swallow (2004), Harzand (2016)'' * Irish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Irish Flat Horse Races
A list of notable flat horse races which take place annually in Ireland, under the authority of Horse Racing Ireland, including all conditions races which currently hold Group 1, 2 or 3 status in the Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...an Pattern. The distances of the races are expressed in miles, furlongs and yards. Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Other races Discontinued References Revised Group Race Programme in Ireland for 2020 Announced- ''Revised Irish Pattern 2020''. 2020 Flat Pattern Book- ''Irish Pattern Races, Listed Races and Premier Handicaps 2020''. Down Royal- ''Her Majesty's Plate upgraded to a Listed Race''. European Pattern Committee 2016- ''Curragh races upgraded by European Pattern Committee''. ---- {{DEFAULTSORT:Irish flat horse races ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horse Racing In Ireland
Horse racing in Ireland is intricately linked with Irish culture and society. The racing of horses has a long history on the island, being mentioned in some of the earliest texts. Domestically, racing is one of Ireland's most popular spectator sports, while on the international scene, Ireland is one of the strongest producers and trainers of Thoroughbred horses. The Irish horse racing industry is closely linked with that of Great Britain, with Irish horses regularly competing and winning on the British racing circuit. History Earliest records Horse racing in Ireland has a very long history. The ancient text ''Togail Bruidne Dá Derga'' (Destruction of the Mansion of Da-Derga) mentions chariot races taking place on the Curragh during the lifetime of the monarch Conaire Mór, whose reign is disputed but is believed to have occurred sometime between 110 BC and 60 AD. The use of the Curragh as an early location for horse racing is also mentioned in a gloss to the 7th century ''L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Colin Keane
Colin Keane (born 12 September 1994) is an Irish jockey who competes in flat racing. He was Irish flat racing Champion Jockey in 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022. Keane was born in County Meath and rode his first race winner at Dundalk in December 2010. He became stable jockey for racehorse trainer Ger Lyons in 2014 and won the Irish apprentice jockeys' championship that year with 54 winners, having finished runner-up the previous season. Keane was runner-up to Pat Smullen in the Irish jockeys' championship in 2015 and won his first championship in 2017 with a total of 100 winners. In 2019 he was runner-up in the championship to Donnacha O'Brien, with 103 winners to O'Brien's 111; this was the first season in which two jockeys both rode 100 winners in an Irish season. Keane won his second Irish champion jockeys' title in 2020 with 100 winners, ahead of Shane Foley who finished with 92 wins. Foley had led by 20 winners on 20 August but a run of success for Keane during September and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Declan McDonogh
Declan McDonogh (born 21 January 1980) in County Meath is an Irish jockey who competes in Flat racing. McDonogh rode his first winner at Leopardstown Racecourse in June 1995 and has worked for trainers Kevin Prendergast, John Oxx and Joseph O'Brien . He was Irish flat racing Champion Jockey in the 2006 season. Major wins Ireland * Phoenix Stakes - (1) - '' La Collina (2011)'' * Pretty Polly Stakes - (2) - ''Polaire (1999), Rebelline (2001)'' *Tattersalls Gold Cup - (1) - ''Rebelline (2002)'' *Vincent O'Brien National Stakes - (2) - ''Kingsfort (2009), Thunder Moon (2020)'' ---- France *Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp The Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged two years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,000 metres (about 5 furlongs), ... - (1) - ''Maarek (2013)'' References 1980 births Living people Irish jockeys Sportspeople from County Mea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mecca's Angel
Mecca's Angel (foaled 11 February 2011) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. She was a specialist sprinter who excelled over the minimum distance of five furlongs. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 2013, winning two minor contests and twice finishing second in Listed races. In the following year she improved to win four of her five races including the Scarbrough Stakes and World Trophy. As a four-year-old she made only three appearances but was rated the best female sprinter in the world after wins in the Prix de Saint-Georges and the Nunthorpe Stakes. In 2016 she struggled for form in the spring but then won the Sapphire Stakes before becoming the first horse in over thirty years to win a second consecutive Nunthorpe Stakes at York. Background Mecca's Angel is a grey mare bred in Ireland by Yeomanstown Stud & Doc Bloodstock. In October 2012 the yearling filly was sent to the Tattersalls sales and was bought for 16,000 guineas by the trainer Michael D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aidan O'Brien
Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA.com is an Irish trainer. Since 1996, he has been the private trainer at Stables near in |
Seamie Heffernan
James Anthony "Seamie" Heffernan (born 17 July 1972) is an Irish flat racing jockey who rides mainly for horse racing trainer Aidan O'Brien. From a family with no racing connections Heffernan was introduced to the sport when he took a summer holiday job with the National Hunt trainer Arthur Moore. He began his racing career as an apprentice jockey for P J Finn and rode his first winner on 10 August 1988 at the age of sixteen. When Finn retired he moved to the yard of Jim Bolger and shared the Irish champion apprentices title in 1994. He was runner-up in the same competition in 1995 and moved to Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable in 1996 where he was second jockey after Christy Roche. Heffernan has remained at Ballydoyle since then and rode his first Group One winner on Beckett in the 2000 National Stakes and his first Classic winner on Imagine in the Irish 1,000 Guineas in 2001. He has ridden a further nine Irish Classic winners, including four victories in the Irish Derby, in a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wayne Lordan
Wayne Lordan is a multiple Group race winning Irish jockey. His first winner was Ethbaat for trainer Gerry Cully at Killarney on 15 July 1998. In his early career he was associated with the stables of David Wachman and Tommy Stack. He also rode occasionally for Eddie Lynam. It was for Lynam he won his first Group 1 on the unfancied Sole Power in the 2010 Nunthorpe Stakes at York. At 100/1, the horse was the longest priced winner of a British Group 1 for 35 years. Another horse owned by the Power bookmaking family, Slade Power, and also trained by Lynam gave him even greater success, winning three Group 1 sprints over the course of 2013 and 2014 - the British Champions Sprint Stakes, the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and the July Cup. In January 2017, Lordan was taken on by Aidan O'Brien. This led to his first Classic winner, Winter, who won the 1,000 Guineas on 7 May 2017. Lordan also won the 2017 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown on Hydrangea, a race Lordan also won in September 201 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slade Power
Slade Power (foaled 2 April 2009) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, Slade Power won one minor race as a two-year-old in 2011 before winning the Sandy Lane Stakes in England and the Belgrave Stakes in Ireland (both Listed races) in 2012. He emerged as a top-class performer as a four-year-old in 2013, winning the Sapphire Stakes, Phoenix Sprint Stakes and British Champions Sprint Stakes. He was even better in 2014, establishing himself as arguably the leading sprinter in Europe by winning the Greenlands Stakes, Diamond Jubilee Stakes and July Cup. Background Slade Power is a bay horse with no white markings bred in Ireland by his owners David and Sabena Power (members of the Power bookmaking family). He was from the first crop of foals sired by Dutch Art a horse who won the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes in 2006. Dutch Art's other offspring include Caspar Netscher (Gimcrack Stakes, Mill Reef Stakes), Baccarat ( Wokingham Stakes), Producer ( Supre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pat Smullen
Patrick Joseph Smullen (22 May 1977 – 15 September 2020), was an Irish jockey who won the Irish flat racing Champion Jockey title nine times. In a career running from 1992 to 2018 he rode 1,845 winners in Ireland and 47 in Britain. Amongst his biggest successes were riding Harzand (horse), Harzand to victories in the Epsom Derby and Irish Derby in 2016. He was stable jockey to Dermot Weld from 1999 until 2018. Background and apprenticeship Smullen was born in County Offaly and was introduced to riding and racing by his brother Sean, who worked for trainer Joanna Morgan. He was then apprenticed to local trainer Tommy Lacy, who provided him with his first winner, Vicosa, at Dundalk in 1993. Smullen won the Irish apprentice championship in 1995 and 1996. Career Smullen spent two years as a stable jockey to John Oxx, winning his first Group races, Group 1 race, the Moyglare Stud Stakes, on Tarascon for trainer Tommy Stack at Curragh Racecourse, the Curragh in 1997. In 1999 he be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
