The Curragh

Location and History

The Curragh racecourse is very much the home of Irish flat racing.

Unlike most other Irish racetracks, this venue is exclusively reserved for flat racing. Given its extensive history as a track dedicated to elite races for speedsters, it's highly improbable that this specialisation will change anytime soon.

The historical significance of this venue is remarkable. Not only did it host its first recorded race as early as 1727, there is evidence of unofficial races taking place at this location long before that.

The inaugural Irish Derby took place 39 years after the first official race in 1866. Just two years later, it was formally recognized not only as an official racetrack but also as a designated training facility, following an act of parliament.

Between 2017 and 2019, a significant redevelopment project took place at the Curragh racecourse, including the construction of a new Grandstand and enhancements to the overall racecourse facilities. This ambitious project was successfully completed in time for the 2019 flat season, providing a needed facelift for the course, which had retained its original foundations for centuries.

Unlike the Classics in English racing, which are spread out across different courses, all five of the Irish Classics are run here, as we’ll see in a minute.

There are between 19 and 23 meetings held here every year between March and late October, but outside the actual racing, visitors of the track can look forward to guided tours on any day that isn’t hosting racing. They can get a real feel for the track’s history, its unique challenges for the horses and jockeys, and can also soak up the truly special feel of such an iconic track that has delighted racegoers for close to 300 years and counting.

The track is situated in County Kildare, in the province of Leinster. Racegoers can get there via train – Newbridge and Kildare Stations are the closest – with shuttle buses available on race days that take punters straight to the course from the station.

Alternatively, it’s 35 km south-west of Dublin by car with drivers needing to take Exit 9 off the M50 onto the N7 southbound or alternatively, Exit 12 off the M7. There’s no shortage of free parking once you get there. On major race days, there are special Expressways buses going from Dublin city centre to the racetrack.

Types of Racing at The Curragh and Notable Races

The Curragh's status as the epicenter of flat racing in Ireland is evident through its hosting of 10 out of the 12 Group 1 races held in the country annually.

Here’s the full list of them.

Moreover, as previously mentioned, the course proudly hosts all five of the Irish Classics, which include:

Previous winners at The Curragh in significant races who already were or who went on to become household names in the world of racing, include: Australia, Yeats, Dylan Tomas, Ouija Board, Hurricane Run, Rock of Gibraltar, Galileo, High Chaparral, George Washington and Nijinsky. Most notably, it’s where the ill-fated Shergar won the Irish Derby in 1981.

Here’s how attheraces.com describes the track:

“A horseshoe-shaped, right-handed course with no sharp bends over two miles with a straight run-in of three furlongs slightly uphill. There are starts at five furlongs, six furlongs, six furlongs 63 yards, seven furlongs and a mile on a straight course. In any given instance pace and positional bias usually counts for more in races on the straight course than the draw.”

Heroes at The Curragh

Let’s look at the trainers and jockeys who have taken a particular liking to this course over the years by being perennial winners or having a particularly high strike rate.

Top Trainers

• No prize for guessing that Aiden O’Brien has trained more winners here over the years than anybody else. His 628 winners from 3139 horses sent out is almost three times more than the next best, who is Jim Bolger with 213. Unsurprisingly, O’Brien also has the best strike rate of any trainer with a 19%-win rate here.

Top Jockeys

• Two familiar names lead the way for the top jockeys here with Jonny Murtagh and Pat Smullen riding 228 and 199 winners respectively. Just one winner off Smullen is Kevin Manning with 198, but he won’t be catching up with him, having retired from riding in October 22 after almost 30 years as Jim Bolger’s stable jockey.

The Curragh Trivia

• The name "Curragh" comes from the Irish language word Cuirreach, meaning "place of the running horse".
• In addition to being one of the top racetracks in the world, it also has one of the best training facilities around with 1500 acres available for the purpose. That figure includes 70 miles of turf gallops, 12 miles of peat gallops and eight all-weather tracks.