National Hunt
In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...
steeplechase
Steeplechase may refer to:
* Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles
* Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...
in Ireland which is open to
horses
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
aged five years or older. It is run at
Fairyhouse
Fairyhouse Racecourse is a horse racing venue in the Republic of Ireland. It is situated in the parish of Ratoath in County Meath, on the R155 regional road, off the N3. It hosted its first race in 1848 and since 1870 has been the home of ...
over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs (4,023 metres), and during its running there are sixteen fences to be jumped. The race is for
novice
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession
A profession is a field of work that has ...
chasers, and it is scheduled to take place each year on
Easter Sunday
Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
.
The event was formerly sponsored by
Irish Distillers
Irish Distillers is a subsidiary of the French drinks conglomerate Pernod Ricard. It is the largest distiller of Irish whiskey, distilling popular brands such as Jameson and Powers, in addition to premium whiskeys such as Redbreast and Midleto ...
, the producers of Powers Whiskey and from 2015 to 2019 it was sponsored by Irish airline
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland and has its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted airports. It forms the largest part of the Ryanair Holdings family ...
. In 2021 it was sponsored by Underwriting Exchange, in 2022 by BoyleSports and since 2023 by WillowWarm. It is run during the Fairyhouse Easter Festival, a three-day meeting which also features the
Irish Grand National
The Irish Grand National is a National Hunt steeplechase in Ireland which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run at Fairyhouse over a distance of about 3 miles and 5 furlongs (5,834 ...
. Prior to 1994 it was contested over 2 miles and 2 furlongs.
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 1960 (4 wins):
*
Paul Carberry
Paul Carberry is a retired Irish National Hunt jockey.
Background
He was born on 9 February 1974.trainer since 1960 (5 wins):
* Jim Dreaper – ''Vulforo (1973), Ballyross (1978), Persian Wanderer (1979), Carvill's Hill (1989), Merry Gale (1994)''
*
Willie Mullins
William Peter Mullins (born 15 September 1956) is an Irish racehorse trainer and former jockey.
Career
He commenced racehorse training in 1988 having previously worked as an assistant to his father Paddy Mullins and Jim Bolger. Willie is a fo ...
- ''
Al Boum Photo
Al Boum Photo is a French-bred, Irish-trained racehorse who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2019 and 2020.
Background
Al Boum Photo is a dark bay gelding with a small white star, and was bred in France by Emmanuel Clayeux & Jacky Rauch. He initi ...
(2018), Voix Du Reve (2019), Janidil (2021),
Galopin Des Champs
Galopin Des Champs (foaled 12 May 2016) is a French-bred Irish-Trained thoroughbred racehorse competing in National Hunt racing. He won the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup, ridden by his regular jockey Paul Townend.
Background
Galopin Des Champs is a bl ...
(2022), Flame Bearer (2023) ''
Winners since 1960
See also
*
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 ...
*
List of Irish National Hunt races
A list of notable National Hunt horse races which take place annually in Ireland, under the authority of Horse Racing Ireland
Horse Racing Ireland (HRI; ga, Rásaíocht Capaill na hÉireann) is the governing body of horse racing on the island ...
References
*
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 ...