Thoroughbred trail

Meeting some of the heroes of the turf – human and equine – is one of the attractions of the Curragh Thoroughbred Trail. It’s a one-off event which is part of the Irish Champions Weekend on September 13th and 14th, when the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown and the Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger will bring the cream of the racing industry to Ireland to compete for a €3.7 million prizefund.

John Oxx (pictured) is among the trainers opening up their yards, and The Irish National Stud and the Racing Academy and Centre for Education are also participating. A Sunday racing and trail ticket costs €25, while admission to both meetings and the trail is €35. Coaches will depart from the Curragh racecourse at 9.30am on Sunday, September 14th, visiting three locations before returning to the track at noon for racing. See curragh.ie for tickets and advance booking. Some 20,000 racegoers are expected over the weekend, and there will be style competitions with attractive prizes at both tracks. See irishchampionsweekend.ie. Marie-Claire Digby