The Ballysax Stakes is a Group 3

flat Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

horse race Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

in Ireland open to three-year-old

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

s. It is run over a distance of 1 mile and 2 furlongs (2,012 metres) at

Leopardstown Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is di ...

in April.

History

The event was formerly held at the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

, and it used to be classed at Listed level. It was transferred to Leopardstown in 1993, and promoted to Group 3 status in 2003. The 2014 running was held at

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland by population, tenth largest settlement in ...

as the normal Leopardstown fixture was judged to be too early in the season to serve as a trial race for the European classics. The Ballysax Stakes is currently run in memory of Patrick W. McGrath (died 2001). McGrath served as chairman of the Racing Board (a precursor of

Horse Racing Ireland Horse Racing Ireland (HRI; ga, Rásaíocht Capaill na hÉireann) is the governing body of horse racing on the island of Ireland. It is based in the Curragh, County Kildare, next to the racecourse of that name. HRI was founded in 2001, succee ...

), which purchased Leopardstown Racecourse in 1967. The race serves as trial race for various European classics and the most recent winner to go on to a classic victory was Harzand, winner of the

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

in 2016.

Records

Leading

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

since 1986 (6 wins): *

Michael Kinane Michael J. Kinane (born 22 June 1959, Killenaule, County Tipperary) is an Irish former flat racing jockey. He had a 34-year career, retiring on 8 December 2009. A prolific winner of the Irish, English and French Classic race ...

– ''Cheering News (1990), Humbel (1995), Casey Tibbs (1997), Cupid (1999),

Galileo Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642) was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath. Commonly referred to as Galileo, his name was pronounced (, ). He was ...

(2001),

High Chaparral High Chaparral (1 March 1999 – 21 December 2014) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from September 2001 to October 2003, he ran 13 times and won 10 races. His win in the Racing Post Trophy made him one ...

(2002)'' Leading trainer since 1986 (11 wins): *

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA. ...

– ''Cupid (1999),

(2001),

(2002), Balestrini (2003),

Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish litera ...

(2004),

Fame and Glory Fame and Glory (20 March 2006 – 13 February 2017) was an Irish Thoroughbred horse whose wins include the Critérium de Saint-Cloud, Irish Derby, Tattersalls Gold Cup, Coronation Cup and Ascot Gold Cup. Background Fame and Glory was a bay ...

(2009), Battle of Marengo (2013), Nelson (2018), Broome (2019), Nobel Prize (2020), Bolshoi Ballet (2021)''

Winners since 1986

References

* Paris-Turf: **, , , *

Racing Post ''Racing Post'' is a British daily horse racing, greyhound racing and sports betting publisher which is published in print and digital formats. It is printed in tabloid format from Monday to Sunday. , it has an average daily circulation of 6 ...

: ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , , , , , , , ** , , , ----
galopp-sieger.de
– ''Ballysax Stakes.''
horseracingintfed.com
– ''International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Ballysax Stakes (2019).''
pedigreequery.com
– ''Ballysax Stakes – Leopardstown.'' {{Race Meeting, Ballysax-Guineas Trials, Turf Flat horse races for three-year-olds Leopardstown Racecourse Flat races in Ireland

History

Records

Winners since 1986

See also

References