Fairyhouse Easter Festival this weekend
With Cheltenham done and dusted, all eyes turn to the next major fixture on the racing calendar: the Fairyhouse Easter Festival. Running from March 31st to April 2nd, the festival will once again entice the great and the good of the racing industry to the Ratoath venue and has guaranteed a fun-filled three days for everyone who comes along.
From the very young to the not so young, groups, families, corporate groups and clubs, there’s something for everyone. Luckily the weather seems to be on the side of this highly-anticipated meeting and a cold, dry week is just what’s needed to dry out the track and produce suitable ground. This is a great draw for trainers as they try to predict their entries for the coming weeks.
Cheltenham, Fairyhouse, Aintree and Punchestown are all coming thick and fast one after the other this year which puts trainers in the position of having to decide which meetings to enter, at the risk of skipping one only to find that the ground turns out to be unsuitable for the next one, therefore possibly missing out on a race. It is a gamble, but then again in racing most things are.
Trainers like Gordon Elliott, Willie Mullins, Robbie Hennessey, Jim Dreaper, Noel Meade, Dessie Hughes will team up with jockeys like Paul Carberry, Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty, Katie Walsh, Nina Carberry, Robbie Power and Davey Russell to create the all-star cast that the festival merits.
EASTER SUNDAY
Racing kicks off at 1.50pm on Easter Sunday and the card features 4 graded races with all the focus being on the €90,000 Powers Gold Cup. The hugely popular Flemenstar took this race last year, following in the footsteps of Arkle, Captain Christy and Dorans Pride, so this year’s winner could have a bright future ahead.
As a special Easter treat for children, Sunday is also Easter Bonnet competition day, sponsored by La Bucca restaurants. Rozanna Purcell will be casting a knowing eye over the entrants and if it’s anything like last year’s edition, competition will be fierce.
The Ladbrokes Irish Grand National holds its traditional Easter Monday fixture. As a highlight of the whole racing year, this is a highly contended race over 3½ miles and with a purse of €250,000. Not for the fainthearted, the Irish Grand National is a demanding race that requires stamina, tenacity and skill from both horse and jockey. Last year first past the finishing post was Lion Na Bearnia ridden by Meath jockey Andrew Thornton and trained by Tom Gibney from Kells. With 82 runners entered at the moment, we won’t know who makes the cut until this Thursday, then the real fun begins. An Taoiseach Enda Kenny will be presenting the trophy to the winning connections again this year and the first race on the card is at 2.40.
FASHION FORWARD
Easter Monday is also Ladies Day featuring the hotly contested Most Stylish Lady competition. The 2013 edition is once again hosted by Carton House and the theme is “Purple Reign”. This year’s judging panel consisting of model Rosanna Davison and style presenter and commentator Brendan Courtney will be on the lookout for inspirational uses of the colour purple, whether it’s an eye-catching purple dress, a violet umbrella or a plum headpiece. Carton House have laid on an overall prize package to the value of €8,000 from Carton House. Anything from plum to aubergine, and violet or magenta is in with a chance. The key is to keep it stylish.
As always, the Fairyhouse team are placing emphasis on families and anyone who fancies a day at the races can bring the whole family along too. The new playground has been test driven by visiting children a couple of times and has been given a firm thumbs up. Admission is free for under-18s every day. There will be live music throughout the festival with The Kilkennys, Rubberduck, Tony Fox and High Stakes playing on the main stage and in the Booby Jo stand.
There is 2-for-1 special admission for local race goers for the entire festival. Simply turn up on the day with some sort of proof of address and two adults go through the turnstiles for the price of one on full adult admission prices. That’s free admission for under-18s, special rates for groups, discounted admission for students and OAPs and a special 2-for-1 locals offer for three jam-packed days of top class racing for the whole family, sure beat’s sitting at home!
For more information on hospitality packages, dining, corporate entertaining or anything else that takes you fancy contact the team at Fairyhouse on 01 8256167 or visit www.fairyhouse.ie where you can buy tickets online and much more.