Day 1 Fri  Aug 29	Earliest departure date from the U.S..
Day 2 Sat  Aug 30	Earliest arrival in Dublin. You will be met at the airport and delivered to Killashee House, our hotel in County Kildare, about forty miles west of the city, and not far from The Curragh, headquarters of horse racing and training in Ireland. We will also offer transport to Killashee House from locations in Central Dublin for those that have arrived in Ireland earlier. These transfers will take approximately 60 to 90 minutes. The remainder of the day is free for adjustment and your own activities. Depending on everybody's arrival times, we may organize a bit of optional local sightseeing in the afternoon, the additional cost of which will depend on the number of people we have. Keeping active on the arrival day always helps with your time-zone adjustment. KILLASHEE HOUSE: Situated amid 80 acres of gardens outside the town of Naas in County Kildare, the main building of Killashee House dates back to 1861. It has grand public rooms, several choices for fine and casual dining (including a pub quite popular with area residents), and a spa/fitness center with an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Visit www.killasheehouse.com for more information on the property. A full Irish breakfast is included each morning of our stay.
Day 3 Sun  Aug 31	Today's arrivals will be met at the airport and brought out to Killashee House. Those already here can have a relaxing Sunday morning and start their handicapping with the Racing Post. If you arrive in time today, you'll be able to join us for the races in the afternoon. We'll be leaving the hotel at about 1PM. This afternoon we'll have a day of racing at The Curragh, far and away Ireland's most important racecourse. Two-thirds of the country's Group races are contested here, including ten of the twelve Group 1s and all five Classics. The word "curragh" means "course" in Gaelic, and horses have been running here since the 1100s. The first recorded races date back more than 300 years. The featured race today is the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, one of the most important races of the year for the division. There's also a Group 3 for the 2-year-old boys and a Group 3 sprint for older horses. A Listed race and a valuable handicap help round out a typically strong Curragh card. At present there is renovation projected to be in progress at the racecourse, and it is uncertain what the state of the facilities will be on this date. If there is seating with acceptable viewing we will have it; if there is an operating restaurant we will provide that option for you, and it must be booked in advance. For those who are game after the racing, we'll continue on to an optional "no-host" dinner at an area pub popular with horse people.
Day 4 Mon  Sep 1	For trip members who have already arrived this will be a OPEN DAY for you to use as you please. Possibilities include a day-trip into Dublin city, golf at an area golf course, or maybe a trip down to Waterford for some crystal shopping. The local towns of Naas, Kilcullen, Newbridge, and Kildare are typically Irish and a short cab ride away. For the adventurous, there is a car-rental agency nearby that will pick you up at the hotel. You may just want to hang around the hotel and use the fitness center and pool. Those arriving today will be met at the airport and transferred to Killashee House. By this evening, everybody will be here. At 6PM we'll all meet up for cocktails at the hotel to get acquainted. Afterwards it might not be a bad idea to take it easy, have a simple dinner at the hotel, and turn in early. We have a lot planned for the rest of the week. (The timing of this cocktail hour and some of the arrival day sightseeing may be adjusted once we know the arrival times of all the group members. It may be logical to have them occur at another time if everybody is already here earlier.)
Day 5 Tue  Sep 2	We start the trip proper by heading south to County Kilkenny today. Our main stop in the morning will be Ballylinch Stud. This farm is best known historically for being the home at stud of The Tetrarch, aka "The Spotted Wonder", who was named by the Racing Post as the best 2-year-old to run in Britain during the 20th Century. The influence of this undefeated racer and champion sire from the early 1900s remains very much alive in pedigrees today. On a more contemporary note, Ballylinch bred and sold as a yearling 2006 Breeders Cup Turf winner Red Rocks. Ballylinch maintains a sizable band of broodmares both home-owned and for clients, and stands a number of stallions as well, including the American-campaigned Traditionally. We also hope to add a visit to the yard of a prominent trainer today, but that will be subject to later confirmation. We'll make our way into the town of Kilkenny itself for lunch and a bit of sightseeing. This is considered by some to be one of the prettiest towns in Ireland, and it has more than its share of history as well. We'll do some exploring after lunch. We get back to Killashee House in the late afternoon. We'll make a group booking at an area restaurant tonight and, following a break at the hotel, those who wish to can join up for dinner on a no-host basis.
Day 6 Wed  Sep 3	This morning we return to The Curragh and the yard of one of Ireland's leading trainers. We'll accompany a "lot" over to the gallops and see some work. Following this, we'll rendezvous with the superintendent of the training grounds, who will spend some time with us explaining how he keeps 80 trainers, 1,500 horses, and 6,000 acres of turf interacting properly. For lunch we'll head over to the Irish National Stud, and follow with a tour of the Stud. The visit at the National Stud is geared more toward the general traveler than the horseman, but the guides do respond well to knowledgeable questioning. There is an excellent gift shop as well as a small museum and, nearby, a Japanese Garden. The breeding of Thoroughbreds is one of Ireland's major economic generators and one of its most famous international "brands". The five major racing countries (Britain, France, Ireland, Italy, and Germany), together generate more than 90% of Europe's breeding activity. And Ireland, with less than 2% of the major five's population and less than 5% of the land area, is home to over 40% of the Thoroughbred mares and produces more than 40% of the registered foals. Later in the afternoon we'll visit one of Kildare's prominent private farms. This evening, following a break back at the hotel, we've made a group booking for dinner at the rustically elegant Rathsallagh House, about a half-hour's drive away. We can have a sit-and-drink and enjoy our surroundings both before and after the fine Rathsallagh dining. Like last night's dinner, this one is optional and on a "no-host" basis, but we'll think you'll be happy if you join us for the outing
Day 7 Thur  Sep 4	County Tipperary, about two hours west, is our destination today. First stop will be Coolmore Stud and its arguably world's-best lineup of stallions including Sadler's Wells, Montjeu, Galileo, Danehill Dancer, Peintre Celebre, High Chaparral, and many others. We'll have a good look around and see all the top guns in residence. Following Coolmore, we'll have a pub lunch and then head on to nearby Clonmel Racecourse, where the racing will get underway at about 4:30PM. Clonmel is one of Ireland's smaller country courses, and while the racing on this weekday may not be absolutely first-rate, the atmosphere, surroundings, and a mixed card of flat and jump races will charm you. We'll be back at the hotel by mid-evening.
Day 8 Fri  Sep 5	This is a potential OPEN DAY for those that arrived at the last minute earlier in the week. It will be a relaxing morning for all, and after lunchtime we'll move out to the northwest. We'll do a bit of sightseeing on the way, and arrive at Kilbeggan Racecourse in West Meath for another card of late afternoon racing. The emphasis is on jumpers at Kilbeggan, and it's another typically Irish country course. After the races we'll have dinner in the area before heading back to Killashee House.
Day 9 Sat  Sep 6	For our major racing day of the week we'll be going to Leopardstown in the southern suburbs of Dublin, the only other course in Ireland that consistently conducts sport at a similar quality level to The Curragh. The headline event today is the Irish Champion Stakes, which over the past decade has taken its place among the very top all-age tests of the year in Europe. With its ten-furlong distance, million-Euro purse, and strategic place on the calendar a month prior to the Arc de Triomphe, it regularly draws a very high-class field. Among the recent winners have been Daylami, Fantastic Light, Giant's Causeway, High Chaparral, Azamour, and Dylan Thomas. The rest of the card has heft, and includes the Group 1 Matron for fillies and mares at a flat mile, and the Group 3 Kilternan Stakes for older horses at a mile and a quarter. There are generally a couple of strong maiden races and rich handicaps carded as well. We'll have lunch at the racecourse and we can keep our tables all day. We'll also have a block of reserved seats with excellent race viewing. We don't as yet have anything specific planned for this evening, but it's our last night together so there is sure to be some fellowship occurring in the hotel's public rooms. Many of us may wish to stick together for a final dinner at the hotel as well. We should have some stories to tell and some experiences to relive.
Day 10 Sun  Sep 7	The organized itinerary ends this morning, following breakfast and checkout from the hotel. We will provide transportation to Dublin Airport and your flight home, and can also get you into Dublin city should you wish to extend there. Slan abhaile.

 

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