Fairyhouse Races Today – Free Fairyhouse Tips from Home of the Irish Grand National
As the biggest of three tracks in County Meath, Fairyhouse races today hosts four Grade 1 contests in Ireland each National Hunt season. With the exception of one, they are all for either novice hurdlers or novice chasers, meaning the Ratoath venue often attracts talented, up-and-coming racehorses for a run.
It’s not just jump racing on show here either. There is also a programme of Flat action throughout the summer months, ensuring the course stays busy and racegoers have something to watch. Whichever code of horse racing appeals most to you, our Fairyhouse tips have it covered.
History of Fairyhouse Racecourse
According to the official website, the first race meetings at Fairyhouse took place in 1848. Far from this part of Ireland northwest of Dublin, it was a momentous year on the continent with a number of revolutions happening across mainland Europe.
The biggest of all Fairyhouse races today in the Irish Grand National had its first running at the track in 1870. This inaugural edition went to a horse called Sir Robert Peel, named after the famous British politician and father of the modern day police force.
Since then, the Fairyhouse Easter Festival has developed into one of the major meetings in the Irish racing calendar. Joining the BoyleSports Irish Grand National at this fixture is the Fairyhouse Gold Cup for novice chasers from at least 1960.
The rest of the course’s programme of Grade 1 National Hunt races is more modern in its origins. The Drinmore Novice Chase, Hatton’s Grace Hurdle and Irish Stallion Farms EBF Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle only date back to 1994 and 1995.
Is Fairyhouse Races Today Flat or Jumps?
While jump racing is the main attraction Horse Racing Ireland puts on at Fairyhouse, there is some on the Flat over the summer. Most race days from here are National Hunt racing between the autumn and Easter, which can fall in March or April. A complete circuit of the track is about a mile-and-three-quarters round.
Horses run right-handed around Fairyhouse, that is clockwise, in their races. It’s a big, undulating track that suits galloping types with an uphill climb going into the back straight. Runners ascend the hill called Ballyhack, the come down before the home turn. The final three furlongs are uphill again.
Inner & Outer Jump Tracks
There are inner and outer National Hunt courses at Fairyhouse races today. Alongside these are circuits for Flat racing and event Point-to-Points. In hurdle races, the inside track has seven flights on a full lap. Two come uphill on the side of the course climbing Ballyhack. There’s own downhill flight in the back straight, then two more on the turn before home. That leaves another couple in the stretch before the line.
On the outer track at Fairyhouse Racecourse, there are eight flights in total. Horses jump a line of three hurdles climbing up to Ballyhack. Following this is just one flight down the back with a couple more before turning for home. Two hurdles remain in the home straight with the last closer to the winning post than at most courses.
As for the inner steeplechase circuit, there are eight fences in all. Three of these come climbing Ballyhack with the last in the line being an open ditch. There are two more plain fences on the descent. The second ditch follows before the home turn. That leaves a couple of plain fences in the straight.
On the outer chase course, horses jump 12 fences on a full lap. The middle one in the line of three on the uphill climb to Ballyhack is a ditch here. There’s another one of those as the last of another three going down the back. Six more plain fences follow that, three before turning for home and three in the stretch before the line.
Key Fairyhouse Races Fixtures
There are two major meetings which our Fairyhouse tips feature. These are the Winter Festival at the end of November (and can fall right at the beginning of the December) and the Fairyhouse Easter Festival. As the latter takes place during Easter holidays that moves dates every year, it can fall as early as the third week in March or as late as the third week in April.
Both of these fixtures take place over weekends with multiple days of racing tips on offer. The Winter Festival is Saturday and Sunday with the Grade 1 action on the latter card. As for the Easter Festival, this is a three-day meeting across Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday culminating in the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse. The Sunday has the Gold Cup as its feature contest.
Other key days at Fairyhouse races today include New Year’s Day racing, the first of three dates in January. There is also the Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase midway through the month and the Grade 3 Solerina Mares’ Novice Hurdle card towards the end.
In February, the Bobbyjo Chase day provides Grand National hopefuls with a chance to prep for returning here at Easter or running at Aintree races in April in the English equivalent. On the Flat, the Stanerra Stakes is the big one over the summer at Fairyhouse taking place on a midweek evening in July.
The Biggest Races We Give Fairyhouse Tips on
There are plenty of Fairyhouse races today worth over £40,000 for winning them throughout the jumps season. These are all worth shining the microscope on them with additional information below:
Irish Grand National
The most valuable handicap chase in Ireland is where we start. The Fairyhouse Irish Grand National takes place on Easter Monday over three miles and five furlongs. It has Grade 3 handicap status. Previously contested at three-and-a-half miles before 1991, it is the biggest race in terms of tips for Fairyhouse today on offer. Its huge prize fund ensures a large field of runners.
Famous winners of the Irish National that dates back to 1870 include Prince Regent, Fortria, Arkle, Flyingbolt, Rhyme ‘n’ Reason, Desert Orchid, Bobbyjo, Numbersixvalverde and I Am Maximus. In 2025, a British raider trained in Wales by Rebecca Curtis in Haiti Couleurs won the race despite being a novice. Connections picked up a massive £223,140 in prize money for his success.
Hatton’s Grace Hurdle
Established in 1994, this Grade 1 hurdle race over two-and-a-half miles takes place on the Sunday of the Winter Festival. It honours three-time Champion Hurdle winner Hatton’s Grace. There have been five horses to win his own race on three occasions. They are Limestone Lad, mares Solerina, Apple’s Jade, Honeysuckle (who all have races named for them), and Teahupoo.
While the females all notched three Hatton’s Grace victories on the spin, he enjoyed successes in 2022 and 2023, then added another in 2025. With so many recent multiple winners, that is the obvious angle that Fairyhouse race tips will take on the race. Teahupoo’s third success earned owners Robcour and trainer Gordon Elliott some £58,512 in prize money.
Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase
A Grade 3 handicap chase now over two miles and a furlong taking place on a Saturday in mid-January honouring late trainer Dan Moore and his wife Joan. Behind the Irish National, this is the second most valuable handicap run at Fairyhouse races today. Most recent editions have favoured more mature horses with five of the last seven successful aged eight, nine or ten.
Fairyhouse tips that focus on seven-year-olds and up seem to do best in the Dan & Joan Moore. Western Diego delivered for Mullins in 2026 when the entire meeting had to be put back to the following midweek following wintry weather. His victory under Brian Hayes resulted in prize money of £51,304.
BAR 1 Handicap Hurdle
Registered as the New Stand Handicap Hurdle and run previously as the BAR One Racing Handicap Hurdle, this Listed handicap over two miles is also on the Winter Festival Sunday card. As with all such races in Ireland, there is a top ratings ceiling of 150. Five winners since 2019 have been five-year-olds, so smart Fairyhouse racing tips will concentrate on that age bracket.
This is always a competitive supporting race to the graded ones on the day. Zillow found himself left in front at the final flight in 2025 when Ataboycharlie came down. He went on to profit from that fall under Paul Townend and scoop £48,760 in prize money for Willie Mullins and the H O S Syndicate. Janidil for the same stable is perhaps the most famous recent winner, though.
Fairyhouse Gold Cup
Currently run as the WillowWarm Gold Cup, this Grade 1 over two-and-a-half miles is the feature steeplechase of the Fairyhouse Easter races on the Sunday. Dating back to at least 1960, previously and most famously sponsored by Powers Whiskey, it had a shorter distance of two-and-a-quarter miles before 1994. This is different from other Gold Cup races in the British Isles, because only novice chasers can run in it.
Famous winners include Arkle, Fort Leney, Kinloch Brae, Captain Christy, Carvill’s Hill, Dorans Pride, Native Upmanship, Like-a-Butterfly, Al Boum Photo and Galopin Des Champs. Many of these from the roll of honour needed further as their careers progressed over fences, so Fairyhouse betting tips should bear that in mind. Spindleberry won in 2025, securing prize money of £48,760 for connections of this mare.
Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle
A mares only hurdles event over two-and-a-half miles during the Easter races at Fairyhouse on Easter Sunday. First run in 1995, it attained Grade 1 status in 2013 and had the 2019 winner Honeysuckle added as its name in 2023. Before that, it was the Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final. Despite being a quarter of mile longer in distance, the Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle has proven a good form guide to this in recent years.
That is something most Fairyhouse tips today don’t tell you. Annie Power is the other famous winner of the race as, like Honeysuckle, she also went on to land the Champion Hurdle later in her career. Successful in 2025 was Aurora Vega, the daughter of another legendary racing mare in Quevega. She gave Mullins a ninth win in the contest and netted connections £48,760 in prize money.
Jack McInerney Memorial Fairyhouse Chase
Inaugurated in 2018 as the Devenish Chase, this Grade 2 contest over two-and-a-half miles uses the same Gold Cup course and distance at Fairyhouse races on Easter Monday as the previous day’s main event. Un De Sceaux scoring in the first-ever edition gave it immediate credibility, but fellow Mullins mount Easy Game hit a hat-trick in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Often attracting a small but select field, the Fairyhouse horse racing tips on offer for this chase come second in terms of priority to the Irish National on this card. Found A Fifty gave Gordon Elliott a first victory in this race in 2025. Owners Bective Stud received £48,760 in prize money for landing the Fairyhouse Chase with their runner.
RYBO Handicap Hurdle
Registered as the Glascarn Handicap Hurdle, this is another Listed event over two miles but on the opening day of the Easter Festival. Also having the maximum ratings ceiling of 150, this is the big betting race of Easter Saturday in Ireland. Seven-year-olds have fared best in it during recent years, so smart Fairyhouse races today tips keep that in mind.
In the last three season, two winners have been at opposite end of the age spectrum. While four-year-old filly Risk Belle delivered in 2023 to enhance Mullins’ fine record in the race, the 12-year-old veteran Lord Erskine rolled back the years when prevailing in 2025. Some £48,760 in prize money went to the old warhorse for his half-length victory.
Drinmore Novice Chase
A Grade 1 novice chase since 1994, this two-and-a-half miles event is the big steeplechasing contest on the Sunday of the Winter Festival. Dorans Pride, Don Cossack and Envoi Allen are the most famous winners of the Drinmore. The locally trained Romeo Coolio breezed to victory in 2025, scooping £41,446 in prize money for first place as Elliott notched a record-extending ninth success.
Royal Bond Novice Hurdle
Recently downgraded to a Grade 2, this two-mile novice hurdle race is also on the big Sunday card at the Winter Festival. Successful Fairyhouse racing tips must follow in the footsteps of notable winners like Istabraq, Moscow Flyer, Like-a-Butterfly, Hardy Eustace, Hurricane Fly, Jezki, Envoi Allen and Marine Nationale. Koktail Brut added his name to that roll of honour in 2025 when first prize was £41,446.
Other Notable Fairyhouse Races Today
The Fairyhouse races tips on offer here go so much further than the events highlighted above. There is plenty more action to take a punt on during the Easter Festival. A valuable bumper takes place then, alongside four more Grade 2 contests like the Ballybin Hurdle, two novice hurdles and the Percy Maynard Juvenile Hurdle. There are some decent handicaps on the supporting cards as well.
The Group 3 Stanerra Stakes moved to Fairyhouse in 2024, and gives fillies and mares the chance to run around a full lap of the track on the Flat over the summer. Speaking of females, the Grade 3 John & Chich Fowler Memorial Mares Chase is the big race here on New Year’s Day, while towards the end of January it’s the Solerina for novice hurdlers.
Some of the supporting races from the Winter Festival are worth noting too. In the Porterstown Handicap Chase, which has Listed status, horses run over the Irish National course and distance. The Grade 3 Mullinam Hurdle and Winter Festival Juvenile Hurdle are age restricted events, meanwhile, only open to four-year-olds and three-year-olds respectively.
FAQs
Is Fairyhouse racing on today?
Fairyhouse races today take place between 18 and 20 times per year.
Where is Fairyhouse Racecourse?
The track is south of the village of Ratoath in County Meath, a 25km drive out of Dublin city centre. Fairyhouse is roughly the same distance away from Dublin Airport for international racegoers who want an Irish racing experience.
Why give free Fairyhouse tips?
The tips on offer from Fairyhouse come free, because AI provides them. We use machine learn to source the right data and come up with selections.
Where can I find Fairyhouse races today results?
We have all Fairyhouse races results from every single meeting right here on Racing Tipster.
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