Thurles Racecourse

{{Infobox racecourse

| name = Thurles Racecourse

| logo = File:Thurles_Racecourse_Logo.png

| logo_caption =

| image =

| caption =

| location = Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland

| coordinates = 52°40′44″N 7°48′50″W

| owner = The Molony Family {{Cite web |title=All you need to know about Ireland's only family-owned racecourse|url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/previews/all-you-need-to-know-about-irelands-only-family-owned-racecourse-arbzr5h8oWaS/|website=racingpost.com}}

| operator =

| opened = 1732

| closed =

| capacity =

| channel = Racing TV {{Cite web |title=Racing TV Irish service will not be affected until Gambling Bill implementation|url=https://www.racingtv.com/news/racing-tv-irish-service-will-not-be-affected-until-gambling-bill-implementation|website=racingtv.com}}

| racetype =

| coursetype = National Hunt

| notableraces = Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase
Coolmore N. H. Sires Capri Mares Novice Chase
Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle

| handle =

| attendance = 17,273 (2023) {{Cite web |title=HRI Factbook 2023|url=https://www.hri.ie/HRI/media/HRI/Comms/Documents/HRI-Factbook-2023_FINAL_interactive.pdf|website=hri.ie}}

| website =

}}

Thurles Racecourse is a horse racing venue in the town of Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland which stages National Hunt racing.

History

The first recorded race meeting at Thurles occurred in 1732, as noted in a Trinity College document called “Pues Occurances”. The meeting was a three day festival. In the early days of Thurles, there were four race meetings in February, April, June and November, with just 20 stables on site.{{Cite web |title=History|url=https://thurlesraces.ie/hospitality/|website=thurlesraces.ie}} Since the early 1900s, Thurles has been owned by the Molony family, who still own and operate the course today. Pierce Molony took over the course from a local committee before his son Paddy became manager, and then his son Pierce took over in 1974. In 2015, Pierce's daughters Patricia, Helen, Anne Marie and Kate, took charge of Thurles alongside their mother Riona.{{cite magazine |title=A Family Affair |last=McClean |first=Donn |magazine=Racing TV Club Magazine |publisher=Racing TV |issue=13 |publication-date=January 2022}}{{Cite web |title=unique-place-in-irish-racing-held-by-thurles|url=https://www.theirishfield.ie/racing/inside-racing/unique-place-in-irish-racing-held-by-thurles-230948|website=theirishfield.ie}}

In more recent times, Thurles hosts 11 fixtures between October and March each year. The course is noted for its resilient ground there can be raced on after all but exceptional amounts of rainfall and it can withstand a large amount of racing during the winter months. Hosting three Grade 2 races, the most significant of which is the Kinloch Brae Chase in January. The race has been won by the likes of Native Upmanship, Newmill, Hi Cloy and Don Cossack. Other notable horses to have raced at Thurles on their way to Cheltenham include Honeysuckle and Sizing John.{{Cite web |title=All you need to know about Ireland's only family-owned racecourse|url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/previews/all-you-need-to-know-about-irelands-only-family-owned-racecourse-arbzr5h8oWaS/|website=racingpost.com}}{{Cite web |title=Thurles Horse Racing Results|url=https://www.attheraces.com/results/Thurles|website=attheraces.com}} In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Thurles featured on British free to air television channel ITV whilst racing in Great Britain was postponed.{{Cite web |title=Thurles delight as Saturday fixture tops ITV4 coverage on poignant day for track|url=https://www.racingpost.com/news/coronavirus/saturday-action-at-thurles-to-be-screened-live-on-itv4-aX85Y5a8kTXr/|website=racingpost.com}}

In February 2025, Irish jockey Michael O'Sullivan died following a fall at Thurles Racecourse earlier that month.{{Cite web |date=2025-02-16 |title=Michael O'Sullivan: Irish jockey dies after Thurles fall |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/horse-racing/articles/cg5yr9e42jro |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}

Course

The course is located 1.5 km west of the town centre. The course is an oval right handed track of one and a quarter miles with 6 flights of hurdles and 7 steeplechase fences in each circuit with a steep uphill finish. The course is noted for being sharp and undulating{{cite web|url=http://www.goracing.ie/HRI/Whats-On/Racecourses/Thurles/ |title=Course Profile|date=|work=Go Racing|accessdate=19 September 2012 }}{{Cite web |title=Thurles Course Guide|url=https://jumps.attheraces.com/course-guides/Thurles|website=attheraces.com}}