Thousands of racing enthusiasts descended upon Ireland’s most scenic racecourse this past week for the highly anticipated July Festival. The five-day festival of racing welcomed many new racegoers, sponsors and well-known public faces this July with an increase in attendances recorded across all five days.
Undoubtedly, from a local’s perspective, the crown jewel of the week’s racing came on Tuesday evening when Killarney native and five-time British Champion Jockey Oisín Murphy made a triumphant return to his home track, securing a spectacular riding double. Watching from the stands was a large contingent of the Murphy and Culloty families – including his grandmother Maureen Culloty and his uncle, the Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning jockey and trainer Jim Culloty. Murphy, who grew up dreaming of riding winners on his home track, did not disappoint his home fans.
His first victory came in the opening race of his book, guiding the heavily backed Celtic Motif to a dominant win in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden. Trained by Joseph O’Brien, the classy filly made all the running under a cool Murphy ride, drawing away to score by a comfortable six lengths. Reflecting on the emotional moment, Murphy stated that it was incredibly special to win on her, noting that she was a standout in the race and expressing his deep gratitude to Killarney Racecourse and the local crowd who put an awful lot of effort into the week.
The fairytale narrative was completed later on the card when Murphy teamed up with trainer Michael O’Callaghan aboard Saga Gaga in the featured Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap. Coming with a perfectly timed, powerful late surge, the 3/1 shot wore down the front-running Spanish Temptress to secure a length-and-three-quarters victory. The win carried massive local significance, as Saga Gaga was bred by Danny Leane, a popular local and proud member of the Killarney Racegoers Club.
The popular Leane Family celebrate with Oisin Murphy following their Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap win on Tuesday evening.
The festival kicked off in style with a blistering Flat card under glorious sunshine on Monday. The evening was headlined by The Kerry Publicans, generously supported by The Vintners Federation of Ireland. On Tuesday, alongside Murphy’s headline double, veteran jockey Chris Hayes enjoyed a brilliant brace of his own. He guided Dermot Weld’s Wild Sapphire (6/4 Fav) to victory in the Hotel Killarney Maiden before masterfully taking the spoils on the Ted Walsh-trained mare Gaoth Chuil.
The final day of Flat racing on Wednesday saw Adrian McGuinness’s Minaun View show incredible grit under a masterclass front-running ride by Patrick McGettigan to take the O’Donoghue Ring Optional Claiming Race. Joseph O’Brien and Dylan Browne McMonagle continued their lethal partnership as Venetian Power (9/2) landed the Irish EBF Median Sires Series Race, while Dermot Weld and Chris Hayes struck again with Kalir (3/1).
The jumps took centre stage as the National Hunt code commenced on Thursday headline sponsored by Noel C. Duggan Structural Steel. Crowds braved the warm elements for a thrilling card. The festival concluded with a highly competitive National Hunt finale on Friday. Among the standout performances was Pets Georgina, who stayed on strongly under a masterful ride by J.J. Slevin to capture the Grand Mares Maiden Hurdle.
Killarney’s off-track entertainment program was a roaring success, blending music, social media royalty, and sporting legends including Frankie Foster, representing Racing TV’s Raceday channel, made his highly anticipated debut at the track. Armed with his signature orange microphone, Frankie was out amongst the punters all Thursday and Friday, capturing the true essence of the Kerry “craic” and broadcasting Killarney’s spectacular mountain-and-lake backdrop to hundreds of thousands of viewers online. As a special thank you for his fantastic promotion of racing in Killarney, the racecourse presented Frankie with a jersey from Kerry GAA goalkeeper Shane Murphy, recognising the London-based presenter as an honouree Kerry man.
On behalf of Killarney Racecourse, Brendan Fuller presented Shane Murphy’s Kerry jersey to Frankie Foster in appreciation of his enduring support for racing in Killarney
The fashion stakes reached a fever pitch on Friday for the iconic Lee Strand Best Dressed Day. Thousands of impeccably styled ladies and gentlemen turned the course into a summer runway, making it an incredibly difficult task for this year’s judging duo. Kilkenny hurling legend TJ Reid and his wife, top Irish influencer Niamh de Brún-Reid, combed the enclosures from early noon to select ten male and ten female finalists.
After much deliberation, the top prizes were awarded to two incredibly deserving winners. The Best Dressed Lady title went to Niamh Lordan, originally from Listowel and now living in Cork, who wowed the judges with an effortlessly elegant ensemble that perfectly captured summer sophistication. Niamh has made the top 10 on five occasions previously, but her Leo Lin dress, rented from Labelle, coupled with a glass hat she designed herself, was a standout winner on the day. She walked away with a VIP luxury trip for two to Paris and a beautiful crystal vase. The Best Dressed Gent title was awarded to Tariq Anwar from Dublin, who turned heads with sharp, modern tailoring that stood out in a highly competitive gentlemen’s field. He donned a white Louis Copeland suit, an off-white hat from Texas, and a pair of handmade Italian shoes, earning himself a VIP luxury trip for two to Milan, all courtesy of Lee Strand.
Plans are already underway for the Killarney’s next Summer Festival on August 20th – 22nd. With much of the hospitality packages close to sold out, the racecourse are advising racegoers to secure tickets early to avoid disappointment.
