It is Ireland’s turn to capture the eyes of the racing world – as the 2025 Irish Guineas Weekend gets underway this week.
Twenty-four races – including three Group Ones – shown across the three-day weekend will see elite horses and top prodigies go head-to-head in a battle for a place in the history books.
Festival sponsors Tattersalls have announced that their sponsorship will continue until 2028, ensuring prize money worth at least 500,000 euros is awarded for the three headlining races.
The second of which is the Tattersalls Gold Cup, ran on the final day. It precedes the running of the Irish 1000 Guineas – the second of two Irish Classics ran at the meeting.
A mile and two furlongs of the iconic Curragh racecourse stands between horses aged four and older and a place in history, in this Group One contest.
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Runners
This year will see last year’s winner White Birch return to The Curragh to defend his crown.
Trainer John Joseph Murphy’s five-year-old enjoyed a perfect (3/3) campaign last season and he completed his hat-trick with a dominant success over the top-class Auguste Rodin, in this race.
After almost a year off the track, he returned with a very pleasing run – at The Curragh – behind the Aidan O’Brien-trained Los Angeles – who will also line up in this race.
George Murphy, assistant trainer to his father, told Racing TV: “It was a great run and we couldn’t be happier with him.
“He had a long time off the track and you’d be hoping he’ll improve for the run.”
Los Angeles heads a pair of two runners for leading trainer O’Brien, who is searching for his 11th win in the race.
The other one in the pair is Continuous, who in his latest run was last of five in the Yorkshire Cup – despite being nibbled at in the market.
However, he was only beaten two lengths in a race that saw his jockey, Ryan Moore, set out to make the running and he also raced wide apart from the eventual winner – the Godolphin-owned favourite Rebel Romance.
Kalpana
Trainer Andrew Balding currently tops the trainer standings and will task Kalpana with winning his first Tattersalls Gold Cup.
Racing in those illustrious Juddmonte silks, the four-year-old landed the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot last October.
After being due to run in the Middleton that stablemate See The Fire won at York, she has been rerouted over the Irish Sea.
Balding said: “She was due to run today but had a dirty scope. She’s getting treated for it now and hopefully she’ll have a clean bill of health next week.
“We’ll probably go to Ireland for the Tattersalls Gold Cup.”
Anmaat
Another notable runner in the race is Anmaat for trainer Owen Burrows, another looking for his first win in the race.
His runner is making his return after defeating Calandagan in the Champion Stakes at Ascot back in October.
He is very lightly-raced having only been at a racecourse five times since winning a French Group Two in October, 2022.
With ante-post odds currently suspended, it remains to be seen how the bookies will price up the runners.
The action gets underway at 3:05pm on Sunday, May 25 and will be shown live and for free on terrestrial TV via ITV Racing.
Racing TV subscribers can tune into channel 424, for their subscription programming.
By Callum Close
READ MORE: Irish Guineas Weekend 2025 – 2000 Guineas analysis and preview
