Irish Horse Racing: The Big Horse Racing Festivals Still to Come in 2021
The Irish absolutely love their sports, but there is one sport that they love above all others, and that is horse racing. It is something that is linked very closely with Irish society and culture, and this can be seen from the fact that many of the world’s best jockeys, trainers, and horses are from the Emerald Isle. The major races in Ireland’s horse racing calendar are the Irish Champion Stakes, Irish Derby, Irish 1000 Guineas, Irish 2000 Guineas, and the Irish Oaks. We are now more than halfway through the year, but there are still plenty of great racing events still to take place in Ireland.
The Galway Races
The Galway Races is one of the biggest and most prestigious horse racing festivals in the Irish horse racing calendar. This 7-day long festival starts on the last Monday of July and combines several great races, which includes the likes of the Galway Hurdle Handicap and the Galway Plate Chase Handicap, with a brilliant atmosphere.
If you are ever in Ireland at the end of July, then we recommend that you pay a visit to Galway and check out this brilliant horse racing festival. There is entertainment, fashion, and hospitality aplenty at this event, with more than 100,000 enthusiastic horse racing fans attending each year from across Ireland and the United Kingdom. Obviously, due to the current pandemic situation, attendance in 2020 was prohibited and attendance this year is severely restricted, but hopefully next year we will see the large numbers back at the Galway Races.
In the meantime, if you do not manage to get your hands on a ticket this year, you can still enjoy all of the action because all of the best horse racing betting sites will stream the action live. So, sit back on the sofa with a beer or two, place some bets on the races, and hope that Lady Luck is on your side.
The Listowel Harvest Festival
This is another horse racing festival that lasts for 7 days and, as you can guess from the name of the festival, it takes place at Listowel, which is a small market town that is situated in County Kerry. During this festival, which takes place in September, you will get to enjoy a series of National Hunt and flat races, and Wednesday is the day where the biggest race of the festival takes place.
This showpiece race goes by the name of the Kerry National Chase handicap, and it is a race that attracts a lot of interest from all over the world. Apart from horse racing, there are plenty of other fun activities taking place, making this a great day out for all the family.
Tramore Racing Festival
Every August, the Tramore Racecourse hosts the Tramore Racing Festival over the course of four days. People come from all across Ireland to watch the races, and then enjoy the live music and festivities once the racing has finished for the day. You can never be certain as to which horse will win each race, but you can be certain of the fact that the party goes on until late each day. When it comes to prestigious races, you will not find any at this festival, but that is not to say that the races that are available are not worth watching.
Down Royal Festival
The Down Royal racecourse is located close to Lisburn, Northern Ireland, and every November it hosts the Northern Ireland festival. This is considered by many to be the showcase festival for the National Hunt season since all the big names meet to try and get a good win in as the year draws to a close. The Ladbrokes Champion Chase takes place at this festival, and this is the most valuable race since it has a prize pot of €125,000. Just like with all horse racing festivals across Ireland, this one also has a fantastic atmosphere and is a great place for a family day out.
Leopardstown Christmas Festival
When the presents have been opened and too much food and drink consumed, many horse racing fans across Ireland head to Leopardstown on the 26th of December for some excitement outside the house. Plenty of money has been spent buying presents and booze, so many see this festival as a good way to try and win some money back. This festival lasts for four days and sees no fewer than seven Grade 1 races during this time.
Some of the big races include the Racing post Novice Steeplechase, the Paddy Power Steeplechase, and the Matheson Hurdle. At the current moment in time, due to the pandemic situation, it is unknown whether they will be able to accept horse racing fans this year, so if you are interested in going this December, make sure you check before heading over.
Limerick Christmas Festival
If you are too far from Leopardstown in Dublin and you want some great horse racing to enjoy at Christmas time, then we recommend that you head over to Limerick as they host their own four-day festival at this time of year. You will not get the same big Grade 1 races that you will get to enjoy at Punchestown, but the races are still entertaining to watch and the atmosphere is great.
