It’s Irish 1000 Guineas Day, At The Curragh!

Sunday features a huge day of action, at the Curragh, with a trio of Group encounters to look forward to.

The G1 Gold Cup (2:20pm) looks quite open and cases could be made for Success Days, Deauville, Moonlight Magic, Decorated Knight, Somehow and even Johannes Vermeer.

Connections will have very-high hopes for Red Label, in the G3 Gallinule Stakes (2:50pm). Homesman and Vociferous Marina look the biggest threats, to the Dubawi-sired colt.

The main event will be the 2017 renewal of the Irish 1000 Guineas (3:25pm) and Aidan O’Brien’s outstanding start to the campaign could well continue, as Winter is the hot-favourite. Long odds are available, on stablemate Roly Poly, for those that are looking for an interesting each-way betting option.

Racing At The Curragh

Racing, as we know it today, has been going on in this corner of Ireland for well over 300 years. But to fully appreciate the history of this magical venue, you need to go back much further. The Romans raced chariots here barely three centuries after the birth of Christ. ‘Curragh’ literally means ‘place of the running horse’ and few in Ireland would argue that this track is fully worthy of the name.

However, despite equine racing taking place here for such an extensive period of time, the Curragh did not become fully established until 1865. That was the year that the Houses of Parliament set up a commission which led to the Curragh being designated as a property to be specifically used for the racing and training of horses.

The Curragh of Kildare Act led to over 4800 acres being made available and a ranger was put in charge of it all. Grazing was restricted to just sheep – animals that would do less damage to the pasture.

When the treaty of 1921 was signed, the property was no longer in the hands of the British Crown and came under the jurisdiction of Irish ministries. In the early 1960s, the 1868 act was completely repealed. This put an end to any grazing rights that remained. Further bye-laws were introduced a few years later which further enabled racing to take place without hindrance. It had taken a long time and a great deal of red-tape had needed to be cut, but the Curragh was now a fully-independent racing centre.

It is now regarded as being the centre of the Irish bloodstock industry and amongst the best places in the world for horses to be trained. It is one of the major employers in the local area, with many training stables and a number of prominent stud farms (including the National Stud). Over a quarter of Irish horses are now trained at the Curragh. Many horses that have been bred here have gone on to win G1 races in Ireland, Great Britain and around the world.

Betting With Racebets

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