Horses for Courses

Ireland’s Thoroughbred County, Kildare just outside Dublin, promises an unexpected itinerary to raise the holiday stakes.

The roar of the crowd. The swish of a mane. The flash of silks. The thrum of the turf, as the horses thunder past. Race day is an intoxicating experience, and nowhere more so than in County Kildare, Ireland’s Thoroughbred County.

Kildare may be Ireland’s flattest county, but what it lacks in dramatic topography it more than makes up for with its history, heritage and horse-racing pedigree. At the heart of the lush green landscape is the Curragh. a vast open plain renowned for horse breeding and training. Home to a legendary racecourse and the Irish National Stud & Gardens, it’s a magnet for equine enthusiasts the world over.

Jockey Chris Hayes first rode a horse when he was six-yearsold. By the time he was 12, the young Limerick boy had joined Racing Academy & Centre of Education (RACE), Ireland’s apprentice race school for jockeys at the Curragh. “I’ve been competing professionally for 18 years, but riding horses for 28,” he laughs, half-surprised by the fact.

Based on the Curragh training grounds throughout his entire professional career, he has a special connection to this fertile land, where some of the world’s most important stud farms breed thoroughbreds.

“Racing at the Curragh is top class,” he declares. “It’s one of the best tracks in the world and it’s very fair. I really enjoy racing here because you can ride a horse any way you like. It’s not a front-runner's track, it’s not a hold-up track, it’s just a very, very fair, big, open, galloping track that gives every horse a chance.”

Jockey Chris Hayes

More than an impressive racetrack, it’s where Ireland’s Classic races are contested, something that’s not lost on the jockeys who train and race here. “When you look at the roll of honour of trainers and jockeys that have won races here and won Classic races, it is very special,” he explains. “I am lucky that I am now on those lists for the Classic races I have won. My favourite memory is riding Awtaad to victory at the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas in 2016. It was a real local success and one that I will never forget. There is so much history there, so when you ride any winner there it does mean that little bit more.”

But don’t just take Chris’s word for it. Now you can visit the Curragh and walk in the footsteps of champions – both four-legged and two – with a Dream Escape Ultraluxe behind-the-scenes experience. A private tour, conducted by breeder-turned-manager Paul Keane, will take you to locations that are strictly off-limits on race days, from the inner sanctum of the jockeys’ changing room and weigh room to tacking up a mannequin racehorse, and standing on the podium at the Curragh parade ring. With access to the VIP top floor of the grandstand, you can see poetry in motion, as racehorses exercise on the famous Curragh gallops against the sweeping backdrop of this famous horse county.

Close by, the Irish National Stud & Gardens has proudly produced some of the finest racehorses in Europe, and is one of the only thoroughbred breeding farms in the world that welcomes the public. Owned and managed by the Irish government, the farm is available for a private tour for you to enjoy a rare insight into this lucrative industry. Get up close with famous stallions, stroll the paddocks and, should you visit in spring, you may be lucky to witness a future champion being born or exercised with its protective mare close by.

Visitors of Curragh meeting some living legends

“On a visit to the National Stud with clients, we were fortunate enough to see a new foal come into this world,” Sue Morris, Head of Marketing for Dream Escape shares. “Mother Nature certainly put on the ultimate private show for us that day. It was an unforgettable experience.”

Newborn foal at the National Stud

Want to know what it feels like to own and race your own thoroughbred horse? Then don’t leave The National Stud without trying out the incredible Irish Racehorse Experience, an interactive new attraction that uses cutting-edge technology to put you in the centre of the horse world. You’ll enjoy a first-hand simulation of owning a thoroughbred, from training to riding and selecting your race-day silks before competing in a heartstopping real-time virtual-reality race.

With your pulse racing – and maybe a champion’s cup under your belt – you can head for the mesmerising Japanese Gardens, the finest in Europe and part of the National Stud complex. These impeccable gardens were laid out over 100 years ago by a Japanese master horticulturist and his son, and are staggeringly beautiful and breathtaking.

Japanese Gardens

Of course, Kildare isn’t just noted for the Sport of Kings; this lush county is also celebrated for the calibre of its golf courses, which includes, arguably, the country’s best-known. The K Club features two Arnold Palmerdesigned championship golf courses, having hosted many high-profile tournaments, including The Ryder Cup and European Open. Part of an elegant 5-star resort on a private estate, the hotel is built around Straffan House, a glorious French-style manor completed in 1832 by Hugh Barton of Barton & Guestier, the oldest winehouse in Bordeaux. Today, the five-star resort offers the finest Irish hospitality, marrying heritage with the best in contemporary luxury.

The Palmer Ryder Cup Course 16th Hole

Golf fans don’t just have two championship parkland courses to choose from: the new K Golf World, opened just before the pandemic, offers a novel indoor golf experience where golfers can play any of the big courses in the world through state-of-the-art simulators.

And with acres of private grounds to explore, you can be as active or indulgent as you like here. Try kayaking on the estate’s private mile-long stretch of the River Liffey or settle in for cocktails in The Blue Martini cocktail bar. Experience the noble art of falconry or a relaxing treatment in the award-winning K Spa. Ride out to explore the estate on horseback or enjoy a leisurely garden walk with the promise of afternoon tea afterwards.

The K Club Palmer Restaurant

The K Club Palmer Terrace

With wonderful dining options, from the two new casual restaurants – South in the hotel and The Palmer with outside terrace in the Clubhouse – to the finest formal and private dining, The K Club delivers excellence and epitomises all that’s special about The Thoroughbred County.

Match your ultra-luxe experience with a heavenly stay at the Cliff at Lyons, a privately owned hotel and country retreat with indulgent dining and wellness. Perhaps take time to enjoy the luxury on-site spa, or dine in AIMSIR, one of Ireland’s top two-Michelin-starred restaurants celebrating Irish produce from both land or sea, or the more informal Mill Restaurant serving timeless classics.

The K Club Blue Martini Cocktail Bar

Cliff at Lyons Cookery School

Cliff at Lyons

Read more about The Cliff at Lyons in our interview with owner Barry O'Callaghan on page 52.

Find out more

Emer Mortell, Head of Sales “Dream Escape has personal connections with some of the most renowned stud owners in the country and we can arrange private tours and stays at country estates such as Kilshannig House, the home of Hugh Merry. There will always be something for everyone to enjoy in County Kildare, whether you are a horse enthusiast or just going along for the ride; a golfer or a lover of gardens and country estates steeped in rich history, Georgian architecture, art collections and artefacts. One thing that is a sure bet, you will not be disappointed.”

⬥ emer@dreamescape.co.uk

www.dreamescape.co.uk

IMAGES COURTESY OF AND INPHO / MORGAN TREACY / RYAN BYRNEFROM / JENNIFER O'SULLIVAN / RUTH MARIA MURPHY 2021