It’s Juddmonte Irish Oaks weekend at the Curragh Racecourse this weekend 16-17 July. One of the best middle-distance races for fillies, this is the third year Juddmonte has sponsored the Irish Oaks.

Juddmonte is the international thoroughbred horse racing and breeding enterprise founded in 1980 by the late Prince Khalid bin Abdullah.

The Juddmonte foundation rests on breeding and buying top-class fillies. Juddmonte can boast 117 homebred Group 1 winners, and three homebred fillies have won the Irish Oaks; Wemyss Bight in 1993, Bolas in 1994 and Enable in 2017 with the record-breaking Enable being perhaps the most loved and revered; winning 15 of her 19 races including the Breeders’ Cup Turf, Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Epsom Oaks, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

All three winning fillies have gone on to become treasured Juddmonte broodmares, Enable producing her first foal this year, a strapping colt by Kingman.

Irish Classic

What stands out about the Irish Oaks for Barry Mahon, General Manager Ireland and European Racing, is simply the collective celebration of this top-class Irish Classic. “We host a special gathering of Irish breeders each Irish Oaks day at the wonderful Curragh facilities,” says Mahon.

“It’s just a wonderful chance for everyone to meet up, to talk stallions, to share stories, and get a catch-up.” To win an Irish Classic you need to be a very special horse. “People take for granted how difficult it is,” says Mahon as he talks about Juddmonte’s enviable achievements.

“The Juddmonte mares are foaled in the UK and once weaned they make their way to us for the winter. All our yearlings are out growing and maturing at the moment here in Kildare and there are a few exceptional looking ones; a half-brother to Frankel by Kingman, a Shamardal filly out of Midday and a Frankel filly out of top mare Shoal.

Irish farms

“It’s a dream to work with the sons and daughters of some of the best horses in the world,” says Mahon of the daily job. “Alongside that, I’m working with wonderful people who have been here for years and who I learn from everyday.”

Set in the beautiful pastures and architecture of two Kildare farms, Juddmonte has been at Ferrans since 1982 and New Abbey since 1990. Between the two farms, there are 1,200 acres, with 159 stables in Ferrans and 110 in New Abbey.

Both farms were selected specifically by Prince Khalid due to their soil types. “New Abbey is a dry sandy farm which enables us to winter all the European weanlings,” explains Mahon.

“They are out in the paddocks during the day and stabled at night without the paddocks becoming too poached. Ferrans is a heavy clay soil on a good bed of limestone, it’s extremely good fattening land which produces very good bone growth in our yearlings.”

Perhaps the most exciting weanling this year is Enable’s colt by Kingman who will arrive in Ireland following weaning in August. “He is magnificent,” Barry admits. “He’s actually very like her. He’s a big scopey, quality colt with great presence.”

Prince Khalid ran Juddmonte for 40 years and his three sons now have the same feeling for it. “Prince Khalid had such a big level of involvement, he loved Ireland and sending over the weanlings to the farms.

"Ultimately he made all of the decisions from trainer selections to matings, it was his wisdom that made it what it is.”

Rural enterprise

As well as sponsoring races, Juddmonte is a significant rural enterprise in Ireland when it comes to the racing world. The two farms currently employ 45 full-time staff and that grows to around 59 during the busy breaking and pre-training season.

That busy time for breaking begins on the 1st of September every year and the youngsters usually take around six weeks to break depending on each individual, “Some just need a little more time,” Barry points out.

“Horses depart into training depending on physical maturity and we advise the Abdullah family on what horses are ready and they discuss which trainers they go to.”

Whether you’re cheering on the fillies in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks this weekend or beckoning home the female jockeys in the Kildare Village Ladies Derby, the Curragh action is set to be a real heart stopper, so dust off your fascinator and catch some thrills.