Juddmonte renew sponsorship of the Group 1 Irish Oaks

Ireland’s premier race for fillies will take place at The Curragh on Saturday 22^nd July 2023 as the feature of the two-day Juddmonte Irish Oaks Weekend.

The Curragh is delighted to announce that Juddmonte have agreed to renew their sponsorship of the Irish Oaks.

Juddmonte have enjoyed a long and successful association with the Curragh since 1988 when they first sponsored the Group 2 Beresford Stakes. In 2018 they became a Group 1 sponsor in Ireland for the first time with support of the Pretty Polly Stakes and in 2020 they elevated their association to a Classic race sponsor through support of the Irish Oaks.

It is very fitting that they should sponsor the Irish Oaks as the Juddmonte colours have been carried to success in the Irish Oaks on three occasions through Enable in 2017, Bolas in 1994 and Wemyss Bight in 1993.

Many of the Curragh’s other top races have been won by horses carrying these famous racing silks including Westover who landed the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby last year.

The Juddmonte-owned Bluestocking trained by Ralph Beckett, an impressive winner on her only career start last year, and Tide Pool trained by Dermot Weld are among the 87 first entries for the €500,000 contest this year. Other notable contenders include Europe’s leading juvenile filly Tahiyra, Never Ending Story, Statuette, Delightful and Sandy Creek.

Brian Kavanagh, CEO Curragh Racecourse Ltd said “We are delighted to be able to announce the extension of Juddmonte’s sponsorship of the Irish Oaks and look forward to a quality renewal as always in July. Juddmonte have been fantastic supporters of the Curragh and of the industry here in Ireland for many years as owners, breeders and sponsors and we greatly look forward to our continued partnership with them in this prestigious race. The Irish Oaks has been won by some wonderful fillies over the years, including the great Enable in 2017.”

Douglas Erskine-Crum, CEO of Juddmonte said “Juddmonte is delighted to renew our sponsorship of the Group 1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks. It is extremely important to Juddmonte to support Irish racing and breeding and appreciate its sizeable contribution to the wider industry; we feel the Irish Oaks and Curragh racecourse are perfectly placed to demonstrate this commitment.”