Tipperary

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has received approval from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, to proceed with the development of a second all-weather track in Ireland at Tipperary Racecourse. The approval of the final business case is the last permission required under the Government's Infrastructure Guidelines. It will allow HRI to complete the procurement process with a main contractor and the specialist sub-contractors providing the lighting and surface for the new track. It is expected that contracts will be signed in early-December, at which point...

Racing will take place in Ireland on Good Friday for the first time in 2026, with the Curragh set to stage a fixture on April 3. Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) published the new fixture list on Friday with the number of meetings staying the same for the third consecutive year. The Flat season will also see an enhanced programme of Sunday fixtures beginning in May, while there will be seven blank Sundays in total - one more than in 2025. Racing on Good Friday will come from the current allocation...

One of the early flagbearers for his first-crop sire St Mark's Basilica, Thesecretadversary became the landmark first black-type winner for Ballydoyle's former brilliant runner on Friday when breaking his maiden in the Listed Coolmore Stud Churchill Stakes. Expected to shed that tag when long odds-on at Ayr last month, Cayton Park Stud and Susan Magnier's Chesham runner-up put that blip firmly behind him with a length verdict over Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Brussels (Wootton Bassett) in the Tipperary feature. "I'm glad I got another chance after getting beaten at Ayr...

Wednesday, Tipperary, Ireland, post time: 18:10, COOLMORE STUD LITTLE BIG BEAR TIPPERARY STAKES-Listed, €27,000, 2yo, 5f 0y Field: First Approach (Ire) (No Nay Never), Fresh Fade (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), Arugam Bay (Ire) (Soldier's Call {GB}), Gelato (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}), Spring Is Here (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). TDN Verdict: Aidan O'Brien last won this in 2018 with No Nay Never's Land Force and is represented here by First Approach, who is another son of the prolific Coolmore sire. He enjoys a similar racing profile to Land Force, in that he shed...

The 2025 Irish fixture list was published by Horse Racing Ireland on Friday. The number of fixtures is unchanged from 2024 at 395 after the Board of HRI approved the list in their meeting earlier this week. Only four fixtures remain to be allocated, with the remainder retained as floating fixtures to be utilised during the year to deal with time periods when there is very high demand for opportunities to run from the horse population. There is also a contingency fixture list to reassign Tipperary's dates if needed while...

Coming into Friday's Listed Coolmore Stud Churchill Stakes at Tipperary on the back of a third in The Curragh's G2 Airlie Stud Stakes, Ballydoyle's January (Ire) (Kingman {GB}--I Can Fly {GB}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) made her class tell with an impressive four-length success to further enhance the power of Aidan O'Brien's extraordinary swathe of 2-year-old fillies in 2024. Always travelling comfortably tracking the leading pair, the 1-2 favourite was set alight by Ryan Moore passing two out and surged clear of Beckman (Ire) (Beckford {GB}) for a decisive black-type...

Building on her debut third at Leopardstown last month, Ballydoyle's Ecstatic (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}--Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) made experience count with an impressive win to become the stable's latest TDN Rising Star in Friday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden at Tipperary. Positioned on the tail of the leader early by Ryan Moore, the 2-1 second favourite was sent to the front passing two out and powered clear for an emphatic 3 1/4-length success from Lush Lips (GB) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), with Juddmonte's highly-regarded and well-supported 6-5 favourite...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Observations features Mint Candy (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).   17.50 Tipperary, Mdn, €18,000, 2yo, f, 7f 100yT MINT CANDY (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) is the first foal out of the six-times Grade I winner Rushing Fall (More Than Ready), acquired for $5.5million by Coolmore at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Tuesday's Observations features the daughter of an Oaks runner-up, and who is also a half-sister to Group-winner Lily Pond (Ire). 18.45 Tipperary, Mdn, €12,000, 2yo, f, 5fT TRULY ENCHANTING (IRE) (No Nay Never) is one of two rides for Ryan Moore on the evening card and an intriguing Ballydoyle...

18.10 Tipperary, Cond, €18,000, 2yo, 7f 100yT BREMEN (IRE) (Galileo {Ire}) is one of three newcomers in this Glenvale Stud Race, with Donnacha O'Brien happy to pitch him in against Vincent Gaul's impressive Roscommon maiden winner Spanish Flame (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) and Ballydoyle's Curragh third Portland (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), a son of the G2 Debutante S.-placed Zagitova (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Bremen, the sixth foul out of the triple Australian group 1 heroine Sea Siren (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), is a full-brother to last month's G2 Ribblesdale S. winner...

GAIN The Advantage Series will continue to be supported by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and GAIN Equine Nutrition for the third consecutive year. Last year's series was won jointly by trainers Pat Martin and Kevin Coleman, who shared an overall league prize of €5,000 worth of GAIN equine products. After two successful years, this year there will be an added race at Tramore Racecourse. The race will be restricted to horses owned by a syndicate or racing club to support and encourage the growth in this area, and like the...

One thousand winners and counting. Joseph O'Brien passed yet another important milestone in his training career on Saturday when Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) became his 1,000th winner in the opening seven-furlong maiden at the Curragh. And what style it was achieved in. Al Riffa, who emerged as a major eye-catcher when staying on for second in a Curragh maiden last month, showed the benefit of that initial outing to confirm himself a potential top-notcher in the making. It was just over six years ago when O'Brien enjoyed a...