2024 Fixture List | Horse Racing Free Tips

Irish Horse Racing Fixtures Increase For 2024 As Fixture List Announced By HRI

The 2024 Irish fixture list, which will see the number of meetings rise to 395 while also extending the industry breaks in winter and summer and maintain six blank Sundays, was published by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) on Thursday.

There were 390 fixtures scheduled for 2023. All of the 2024 fixtures have been allocated barring four, and horses-in-training numbers are up 2%. Six turf fixtures have been added to the 2024 fixture list, initially on a one-year basis, and will held at Punchestown (Bank Holiday Monday, Feb. 5), the Curragh (Saturday, Apr. 6), Bellewstown & Down Royal (both Sunday. Apr. 14), Wexford (Wednesday, Aug. 7) and Roscommon (Monday, Oct. 14). In addition, The Flat winter break has been extended by nine days, from Dec. 22-Jan. 12. The summer break in the National Hunt season has also been extended by two days. The six blank Sundays will be on Apr. 28, June 23, July 14, July 28, Sept. 8 and Dec. 22.The Flat season will also begin slightly earlier at the Curragh on Mar. 18 and will end at that racecourse on Nov. 3. Some of the major racing festivals are as follows:

Dublin Racing Festival: Feb. 3-4
Cork Easter Festival: Mar. 30-Apr. 1
Fairyhouse Easter Festival: Mar. 30-Apr. 1
Punchestown Festival: Apr. 30-May 4
Killarney Spring Festival: May 12-14
Curragh Guineas Festival: May 24-26
Down Royal Ulster Derby: June 21-22
Curragh Derby Festival: June 28-30
Bellewstown Summer Festival: July 4-6
Killarney July Festival: July 15-19
Curragh Oaks Festival: July 20-21
Galway Festival: July 29-Aug. 4
Tramore August Festival: Aug. 15-18
Killarney August Festival: Aug. 22-24
Irish Champions Festival: Sept. 14-15
Listowel Harvest Festival 22-28
Down Royal NH Festival: Nov. 1-2
Navan Racing Festival: Nov. 16-17
Punchestown Winter Festival: Nov. 23-24
Fairyhouse Winter Festival: Nov. 30-Dec. 1
Leopardstown Christmas Festival: Dec.26-29
Limerick Christmas Festival: Dec. 26-29

Jason Morris, HRI's Director of Racing and Strategic Projects, said, “HRI is very conscious of the extra demands being placed on all those working in the industry by the increasing fixture list and hence why, following consultation, the Fixtures Committee has extended the break periods under both codes. There will now be a three-week gap over the Christmas and New Year period for the Flat, and a full two week break for the National Hunt sector in June/July. We have also retained the number of blank Sundays at six.”

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Revamped 2024 UK Fixture List Expected In September

The 2024 UK fixture list is expected to be published in mid-September, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced on Wednesday.

Roughly 160 new premier cards have been planned. In May, the changes to the UK racing calendar were announced, with the BHA aiming to grow the sport's reach. Premier fixtures, which will offer higher prize-money and feature better horses, as well as a two-hour slot on a majority of Saturday afternoons limited to two of the premier cards, and one other meeting for a two-year trial period were part of the changes. Details of what exactly constitutes a premier fixture will be confirmed at a later date.

Richard Wayman, the BHA's chief operating officer, said, “If every racecourse continued their 2023 behaviour into 2024, we would have had about 115 or 117 premier fixtures that would effectively meet the criteria we've set.

“We are looking at the moment at around 160 premier fixtures in 2024, which I think gives an indication there is significant change in those fixtures, that racecourses are changing their behaviour and wanting to be part of staging premier fixtures.”

One of the biggest changes to the schedule is that approximately 20 premier fixtures have been added to Sundays, with an additional six pilot Sunday evening meetings under consideration for the early part of the year on the Flat.

Wayman added, “Part of creating premier fixtures involves investing more money.

“There is a combination of measures we are looking at as to how that extra money would be generated from requests to Levy, some redistribution of money into premier, but also asking the Levy Board for additional prize-money support to support the strategy. The Levy Board doesn't meet until September so they will consider that then.

“Racecourses are looking to invest some of their own revenues into these premier fixtures and in terms of wanting to stage some of these fixtures, they will be thinking about how they distribute their own budget across the year and one would imagine there will be some redistribution from within racecourse budgets too.”

Levy reform is ongoing according to the British Horseracing Authority's director of communications and corporate affairs Greg Swift, who spoke during a media conference. Meetings between the BHA and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport have been held in the interim, as “a sustainable Levy process” is sought going forward. The BHA also said that “sweeping blanket checks” would be “unacceptable” regarding affordability checks for gamblers.

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