Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-10-09
Fairyhouse Winter Festival 2026
The Winter Festival is Fairyhouse's two-day meeting at the start of the Irish jumps winter, over a Saturday and a Sunday in late November or early December. It carries two Grade 1 races, the Hatton's Grace Hurdle and the Drinmore Novice Chase, along with the Grade 2 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle. The meeting is sponsored by BAR 1 Betting, formerly Bar One Racing, whose involvement dates to 2006.
The 2026 meeting starts on Saturday 28 November 2026. Racecards, off times and going are confirmed in the days before, and this page adds them as they are published.
At a glance
- Course: Fairyhouse, Ratoath, County Meath, about 25km north-west of Dublin
- Days: two, Saturday and Sunday
- Hatton's Grace Hurdle: Grade 1, 2m 4f, first run 1994
- Drinmore Novice Chase: Grade 1, 2m 4f, first run 1994
- Royal Bond Novice Hurdle: Grade 2, 2m
- Television: Racing TV
Below: the 2026 details, each feature race with its recent winners and trends, how to watch, and the day out. The Fairyhouse course guide covers the track itself.
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The 2026 meeting
The 2026 meeting
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Meeting starts | Saturday 28 November 2026 |
| First race | TBA |
| Going | TBA |
| Days | Saturday and Sunday |
Fairyhouse names the Hatton's Grace, the Drinmore and the Royal Bond for the 2026 meeting but has not yet said which day each is run. All three were run on the Sunday in every year from 2016 to 2025, so expect them on the second day, and check the card once it is published.
Where the meeting fits
The Winter Festival is the first big Irish weekend of the jumps winter, and its form is read all the way to March. The next stop is the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, four days from St Stephen's Day, and then the Dublin Racing Festival at the end of January. Our festivals and big races board has every big meeting coming up, soonest first.
Results for every race go on our racing results page each evening, and this page adds the feature-race results within 24 hours.
The Hatton's Grace Hurdle
The Hatton's Grace Hurdle
The Hatton's Grace is a Grade 1 hurdle over 2m 4f with twelve hurdles, for horses aged four and over. It is named after Hatton's Grace, the three-time Champion Hurdle winner trained by Vincent O'Brien, and has been a Grade 1 throughout its history since it was first run in 1994.
Good hurdlers come back for it. Apple's Jade (2016 to 2018) and Honeysuckle (2019 to 2021) each won it three years running, and Teahupoo won it in 2022, 2023 and 2025. James Bowe and Gordon Elliott have trained six winners each, and Jack Kennedy has ridden five.
Hatton's Grace Hurdle: Recent Winners
Grade 1 · 2m 4f · 4yo+ · Fairyhouse · Late November or early December
| Year | Winner | Age | SP | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Teahupoo | 8 | evens f | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2024 | Lossiemouth | 5 | 4/7f | Paul Townend | Willie Mullins |
| 2023 | Teahupoo | 6 | 85/40 | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2022 | Teahupoo | 5 | 20/1 | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2021 | Honeysuckle | 7 | 2/5f | Rachael Blackmore | Henry de Bromhead |
| 2020 | Honeysuckle | 6 | 4/11f | Rachael Blackmore | Henry de Bromhead |
| 2019 | Honeysuckle | 5 | 9/10f | Rachael Blackmore | Henry de Bromhead |
| 2018 | Apple's Jade | 6 | 4/6f | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2017 | Apple's Jade | 5 | 11/8f | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2016 | Apple's Jade | 4 | 4/1 | Bryan Cooper | Gordon Elliott |
Trends
- The returned favourite (joint favourites included) won 7 of the 10 runnings from 2016 to 2025.
- Three horses won it three times each in the ten runnings 2016 to 2025: Apple's Jade, Honeysuckle and Teahupoo.
- Field sizes ran from 4 to 9 runners in 2016 to 2025.
Source-verified from official records. Last checked 2026-10-08.
The trends
Winning age
- 5yo
- 40%
- 6yo
- 30%
- 4yo
- 10%
- 7yo
- 10%
Age known for 10 of 10 winners (2016–2025)
Market
- Started favourite
- 70%
- Won at 10/1 or bigger
- 10%
- Won at 5/1 or shorter
- 90%
Starting price known for 10 of 10 winners (2016–2025)
Trainers & jockeys
- Most successful trainer
- Gordon Elliott (6)
- Most successful jockey
- Jack Kennedy (5)
10 runnings (2016–2025)
The Drinmore Novice Chase
The Drinmore Novice Chase
The Drinmore is a Grade 1 chase for novices over 2m 4f and sixteen fences. It has been run in its present form since 1994, when it replaced an earlier Drinmore Chase. It is an early test for the season's best novice chasers, which is why its winners are followed through the winter.
Gordon Elliott has trained nine winners since 1994, and six of the ten from 2016 to 2025. Davy Russell is the leading jockey, with four wins.
Drinmore Novice Chase: Recent Winners
Grade 1 · 2m 4f · 4yo+ (novices) · Fairyhouse · Late November or early December
| Year | Winner | Age | SP | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Romeo Coolio | 6 | 8/15f | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2024 | Croke Park | 6 | 22/1 | Sam Ewing | Gordon Elliott |
| 2023 | I Am Maximus | 7 | 11/1 | Jody McGarvey | Willie Mullins |
| 2022 | Mighty Potter | 5 | 3/1 | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2021 | Beacon Edge | 7 | 7/2 | Denis O'Regan | Noel Meade |
| 2020 | Envoi Allen | 6 | 2/11f | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2019 | Fakir D'Oudairies | 4 | 6/4f | Mark Walsh | Joseph O'Brien |
| 2018 | Delta Work | 5 | 10/3 | Davy Russell | Gordon Elliott |
| 2017 | Death Duty | 6 | 8/13f | Davy Russell | Gordon Elliott |
| 2016 | Coney Island | 5 | 8/1 | Mark Walsh | Edward Harty |
Trends
- The returned favourite (joint favourites included) won 4 of the 10 runnings from 2016 to 2025.
- Gordon Elliott trained six of the ten winners from 2016 to 2025.
- Croke Park won at 22/1 in 2024.
- Field sizes ran from 4 to 11 runners in 2016 to 2025.
Source-verified from official records. Last checked 2026-10-08.
The trends
Winning age
- 6yo
- 40%
- 5yo
- 30%
- 7yo
- 20%
- 4yo
- 10%
Age known for 10 of 10 winners (2016–2025)
Market
- Started favourite
- 40%
- Won at 10/1 or bigger
- 20%
- Won at 5/1 or shorter
- 70%
Starting price known for 10 of 10 winners (2016–2025)
Trainers & jockeys
- Most successful trainer
- Gordon Elliott (6)
- Most successful jockey
- Jack Kennedy (3)
10 runnings (2016–2025)
The Royal Bond Novice Hurdle
The Royal Bond Novice Hurdle
The Royal Bond is a novices' hurdle over 2m and ten hurdles, named after Royal Bond, a horse trained by Arthur Moore. It was a Grade 1 from its first running in 1994 until 2023, and has been a Grade 2 since 2024, so an older guide that counts three Grade 1s at the meeting is out of date.
Willie Mullins is the race's leading trainer with ten wins, the latest Tounsivator in 2024. Gordon Elliott (five) and Mullins (four) trained nine of the ten winners from 2016 to 2025.
Royal Bond Novice Hurdle: Recent Winners
Grade 2 · 2m · 4yo+ (novices) · Fairyhouse · Late November or early December
| Year | Winner | Age | SP | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Koktail Brut | 5 | 8/13f | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2024 | Tounsivator | 5 | 12/1 | Danny Mullins | Willie Mullins |
| 2023 | Farren Glory | 6 | 11/2 | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2022 | Marine Nationale | 5 | 11/2 | Michael O'Sullivan | Barry Connell |
| 2021 | Statuaire | 6 | 12/1 | Danny Mullins | Willie Mullins |
| 2020 | Ballyadam | 5 | 8/15f | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2019 | Envoi Allen | 5 | 8/11f | Davy Russell | Gordon Elliott |
| 2018 | Quick Grabim | 6 | evens f | Ruby Walsh | Willie Mullins |
| 2017 | Mengli Khan | 4 | 9/4f | Jack Kennedy | Gordon Elliott |
| 2016 | Airlie Beach | 6 | 4/1 | Danny Mullins | Willie Mullins |
Trends
- The returned favourite (joint favourites included) won 5 of the 10 runnings from 2016 to 2025.
- Gordon Elliott (5) and Willie Mullins (4) trained nine of the ten winners from 2016 to 2025.
- Field sizes ran from 4 to 9 runners in 2016 to 2025.
Source-verified from official records. Last checked 2026-10-08.
How to watch and where to bet
How to watch and where to bet
Fairyhouse is a Racing TV course, and the Winter Festival's Grade 1s are shown on Racing TV. The off times are confirmed in the week of the meeting, and this page shows the first race time above as soon as it is published.
Fields in the feature races are small: four to nine runners in the Hatton's Grace and four to eleven in the Drinmore over the last ten runnings. Two things matter more than the size of a welcome offer:
- Best odds guaranteed. In a small field the early price can move a long way. A BOG bookmaker pays the starting price if it is bigger than the price you took. See our best BOG bookmakers.
- Free bets and their terms. Check the minimum odds and the expiry before you claim. Our free bet offers page compares them.
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Raceday at Fairyhouse in winter
Raceday at Fairyhouse in winter
Fairyhouse is on the R155 near Ratoath, about 3km off the M3. Bus Éireann's 105 service stops outside the course, and a free shuttle bus runs to the Winter Festival from M3 Parkway station, which has a direct line from Dublin Connolly. There is live music in the festival marquee after racing. Dress for a cold afternoon at the end of November.
For getting there, the enclosures and food, read our day out at Fairyhouse guide. The Fairyhouse betting guide covers the course angles, and the Fairyhouse racecourse guide explains the track.
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