Leopardstown Racecourse
Leopardstown Racecourse 53°15′57″N 6°11′21″W / 53.26583°N 6.18917°W is an Irish horse-racing venue, located in Leopardstown, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, 8km south of the Dublin city centre. Like the majority of Irish courses, it hosts both National Hunt and Flat racing.
The course, built by Captain George Quin and modelled on Sandown Park Racecourse in England, was completed in 1888 and acquired by the Horse Racing Board of Ireland in 1967. Many important races are held here and racing takes place all year round, with about 22 meetings per year.
The Leopardstown Hall of Fame honours famous Irish horse racing trainers, jockeys and horses like, Vincent O'Brien, Tom Dreaper, Pat Taaffe and Pat Eddery, Arkle, Dawn Run, Levmoss and Nijinsky.
Facilities
Leopardstown golf course and club house is situated in the middle of the racetrack. The course also has designer shops, a fitness centre, the Leopardstown Pavilion, Fillies Café Bar, the Silken Glider Restaurant, the Paddock Food Hall, Club 92 nightclub, Madigans pub, and numerous bars and snack areas.[1] A farmers market is also on-site every Friday.[2] While there is no accommodation at the course itself, there are numerous hotels closeby.[3] The closest hotel to the Leopardstown Racecourse at the moment is the Clayton Hotel Leopardstown.[4] The 'Bulmers Live at Leopardstown' music festival takes place every summer between June and August. Acts such as Horslips, The Human League, Johnny Marr, and The Boomtown Rats have all performed here.
Notable races
Month | DOW | Race Name | Type | Grade | Distance | Age/Sex |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January | Saturday | Killiney Novice Chase | Chase | Grade 3 | 2m 3f | 5yo + |
January | Saturday | Coral.ie Hurdle | Hurdle | Handicap | 2m | 4yo + |
January | Sunday | Irish Champion Hurdle | Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m | 4yo + |
January | Sunday | Golden Cygnet Novice Hurdle | Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2m 4f | 5yo + |
January | Sunday | Arkle Novice Chase | Chase | Grade 1 | 2m 1f | 5yo + |
February | Sunday | Irish Gold Cup | Chase | Grade 1 | 3m | 5yo + |
February | Sunday | Dr P. J. Moriarty Novice Chase | Chase | Grade 1 | 2m 5f | 5yo + |
February | Sunday | Deloitte Novice Hurdle | Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m 2f | 5yo + |
February | Sunday | Spring Juvenile Hurdle | Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m | 4yo only |
March | Sunday | Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial Stakes | Flat | Listed | 1m | 3yo only |
March | Sunday | Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 7f | 3yo only |
May | Sunday | Amethyst Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 1m | 3yo + |
May | Sunday | Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial | Flat | Group 3 | 1m 2f | 3yo only |
May | Sunday | Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial | Flat | Group 3 | 1m | 3yo only f |
June | Friday | Saval Beg Stakes | Flat | Listed | 1m 6f | 4yo + |
June | Thursday | Ballycorus Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 7f | 3yo + |
June | Thursday | Ballyogan Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 6f | 3yo + f |
July | Thursday | Silver Flash Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 7f | 2yo only f |
July | Thursday | Meld Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 1m 1f | 3yo + |
July | Thursday | Tyros Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 7f | 2yo only |
August | Thursday | Ballyroan Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 1m 4f | 3yo + |
August | Thursday | Desmond Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 1m | 3yo + |
September | Saturday | Irish Champion Stakes | Flat | Group 1 | 1m 2f | 3yo + |
September | Saturday | Golden Fleece Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 1m | 2yo only |
September | Saturday | Matron Stakes (Ireland) | Flat | Group 1 | 1m | 3yo + f |
September | Saturday | Kilternan Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 1m 2f | 3yo + |
October | Saturday | Killavullan Stakes | Flat | Group 3 | 7f | 2yo only |
November | Sunday | Eyrefield Stakes | Flat | Listed | 1m 1f | 2yo only |
December | Boxing Day | Racing Post Novice Chase | Chase | Grade 1 | 2m 1f | 4yo + |
December | Boxing Day | Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle | Hurdle | Grade 2 | 2m | 3yo only |
December | 27th | Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase | Chase | Grade 1 | 2m 1f | 5yo + |
December | 27th | Paddypower.com Future Champions Novice Hurdle | Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m | 4yo + |
December | 28th | Christmas Hurdle | Hurdle | Grade 1 | 3m | 4yo + |
December | 28th | Lexus Chase | Chase | Grade 1 | 3m | 5yo + |
December | 29th | December Festival Hurdle | Hurdle | Grade 1 | 2m | 4yo + |
December | 29th | Leopardstown E.B.F. Mares Hurdle | Hurdle | Grade 3 | 2m 4f | 4yo + m |
December | 29th | Fort Leney Novice Chase | Chase | Grade 1 | 3m | 4yo + |
The Irish Champion stakes is the most important race at the course and one of the World Series of Racing. It is held every September and attracts the cream of racing thoroughbreds.
Transport
Racecourse
A stop on the Luas Green Line is located at the southern end of the racecourse. However, as of January 2016 it remains unopened and devoid of all signage, with trams passing through non-stop. Template:Luas start |- | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align:center; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 1px #aaa solid; border-top: 1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;"| Ballyogan Wood | style="background:#7FFF00; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" | | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-left: 1px #aaa solid; border-right: 1px #aaa solid; border-top:solid 1px #aaa; border-bottom:0px none;" | Green Line | style="background:#7FFF00; color:inherit; border-left: 0px none; border-right: 0px none; border-top:1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;" | | rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: middle; text-align:center; border-left: 1px #aaa solid; border-right: 0px none; border-top: 1px #aaa solid; border-bottom:0px none;"|Carrickmines |}