Full house for 15th running of Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby

Last year’s winner was the Godolphin owned Hurricane Lane which was trained by Charlie Appleby

Godolphin's Hurricane Lane. — Supplied photo

By Team KT

Published: Wed 22 Jun 2022, 11:50 PM

The sense of excitement is rising ahead of the 15th Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Festival which will take place at The Curragh Racecourse in Kildare, Ireland from Friday to Sunday.

This premier race will see some of Europe’s top trainers, jockeys and horses battling it out on the famous Curragh track for derby glory. Last year’s winner was the Godolphin owned, Hurricane Lane which was trained by Charlie Appleby and emerged victorious in the capable hands of jockey William Buick.

With a limited crowd last year due to the pandemic, the upcoming weekend sees the return of racing fans to the track who will be keen to witness the live action in person. The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby is one of the premier races in the global calendar, with prize money of €1 million, making it Ireland’s richest race.

This year will also be the first time Dubai Duty Free will host guests in the magnificent new Curragh grandstand, the Aga Khan Stand.

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, said: “This year marks our 15th as title sponsor of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby although we have been working with the Curragh Racecourse, supporting them, and sponsoring other races for 21 years now. We are glad to be back here in person once more with a full capacity crowd.

Colm went on to say: “Over the term of our sponsorship, we have worked closely with The Curragh team and endeavoured to grow this event into a festival with activities taking place both on and off the track. An example of this is the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Golf Classic which will take place at The K Club on Thursday. We also sponsor the Ladies Fashion element of the raceday with a great prize of a trip to Dubai.”

He went on to commend the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board, Horse Racing Ireland and The Curragh Racecourse and its team for keeping racing going during a difficult couple of years and for safely overseeing the return of spectators to the track.

The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Festival runs from Friday to Sunday with the feature race — The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby running on Saturday.