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Irish Derby Festival 2027
The Irish Derby Festival is the Curragh's showpiece summer meeting, three days of top-class flat racing in late June headlined by the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, Ireland's own version of the Epsom Derby and the oldest of the country's five Classics, first run in 1866. The Curragh, in Co. Kildare, stages more Group 1 races than any other Irish track, and the festival gathers two of them onto consecutive days.
The 2027 Irish Derby Festival runs from Sunday 27 June 2027 (three days, Friday to Sunday). The Derby itself closes the meeting on the Sunday; the Saturday before it, Pretty Polly Day, carries its own Group 1 for fillies and mares. This page updates automatically as each year's race times, going and field sizes are confirmed.
At a glance
- Course: The Curragh, Co. Kildare (right-handed, flat, galloping track; no hurdles or fences)
- Dates: 3 days (Friday to Sunday), late June
- Feature races: Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Group 1, 1m4f, Sunday) and Pretty Polly Stakes (Group 1, 1m2f, Saturday)
- Distance: 1 mile 4 furlongs (Irish Derby)
- First run: 1866
Read on for the 2027 day-by-day schedule, the festival's history and signature races, how to watch, and a full raceday guide covering tickets, travel and what to expect on site.
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2027 Festival schedule
2027 Festival schedule
The Irish Derby Festival runs across three consecutive days, Friday to Sunday, with a consistent shape from year to year.
Friday: Opening night
An evening card of maidens and handicaps with no Pattern race, traditionally paired with live music. The low-key start to the weekend.
Saturday: Pretty Polly Day
- Pretty Polly Stakes (Group 1, 1m2f), the championship middle-distance race for fillies and mares aged three and up
- Airlie Stud Stakes (Group 2, 6f), for two-year-old fillies
- Anglesey Stakes (Group 3, 6f), for juveniles
Sunday: Derby Day
- Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Group 1, 1m4f), for 3-year-old colts and fillies, run over the same trip as the Epsom Derby
- Jebel Ali Dash Stakes (Listed, 6f), the meeting's minimum-trip feature
- Supporting handicaps fill out the rest of the card
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Irish Derby date | Sunday 27 June 2027 |
| Irish Derby off time | TBA |
| Going | TBA |
| Typical Irish Derby field size |
The Epsom connection
The Irish Derby is run roughly three weeks after the Epsom Derby, and the Epsom winner is traditionally the market leader for the Irish renewal, the so-called "Double Derby" bid. It does not always come off: whoever wins at Epsom does not automatically win at the Curragh, and Aidan O'Brien's Coolmore-trained runners have won the race far more often than any single Epsom form line has predicted. See our Irish Derby Festival results for how that played out most recently.
History and signature races
History and signature races
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby was first run in 1866, created by the 3rd Earl of Howth, the 3rd Marquess of Drogheda and the 3rd Earl of Charlemont, and it remains the oldest of Ireland's five Classics. Run over 1 mile 4 furlongs for three-year-old colts and fillies, it is Ireland's counterpart to the Epsom Derby and typically draws horses fresh from that race or from the English Classic trials.
The roll of honour
The winners' list reads like a history of European flat racing. Orby completed the first Epsom-Curragh double in 1907. Nijinsky won in 1970 on his way to the Triple Crown. Shergar won for the Aga Khan in 1981. Galileo took the race in 2001 before becoming one of the most influential stallions in the world. In the modern era the race has been dominated by Ballydoyle: Aidan O'Brien has won it more times than any other trainer, with Ryan Moore riding several of his recent winners. For the full roll of honour and the 2026 result, see our Irish Derby race guide.
The Pretty Polly Stakes
Run since 1948 and at Group 1 level since 2004, the Pretty Polly Stakes is the festival's second Group 1, contested by fillies and mares aged three and up over 1 mile 2 furlongs. It is named after the champion filly Pretty Polly, foaled in 1901 at Eyrefield Lodge Stud in Co. Kildare, and it has a strong recent record of pointing to autumn Group 1 form: Bluestocking won it in 2024 before landing the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe the same year.
Recent winners
This section updates after each year's meeting. For the latest result, see our Irish Derby Festival results.
For the day-by-day roll of honour going back further, and the story behind each renewal, our Irish Derby Festival guide covers the festival in full.
TV coverage and how to watch
TV coverage and how to watch
RTÉ Sport (Ireland)
RTÉ holds a long-standing agreement with Horse Racing Ireland to broadcast the country's biggest fixtures free-to-air, and the Irish Derby Festival is one of them. RTÉ's coverage of Derby Sunday and Pretty Polly Day is typically available on RTÉ Player as well as the television channel, so it is watchable outside Ireland too, subject to the usual regional restrictions.
Racing TV
Racing TV carries the Curragh's full racing programme across all three days, including every undercard race, not just the Group 1s. It is a subscription channel (Sky 426 / Virgin 536 in the UK, 412 in Ireland, or via RacingTV.com), with day passes typically available for one-off viewing.
ITV Racing
ITV's live coverage of Irish fixtures varies by year and is not guaranteed in the way its Royal Ascot or Epsom Derby coverage is. Check the ITV Racing schedule closer to the day, or treat RTÉ and Racing TV as the two dependable sources for full coverage.
TBA on Sunday 27 June 2027
The Irish Derby's off time is confirmed at 48-hour declarations, typically mid-to-late afternoon. Use TBA as a guide only until it is confirmed on the day.
Replays
Racing TV's subscriber archive and the Curragh's own channels post Group 1 replays within hours of each race. RTÉ Player carries replays of its own broadcast for a limited window after transmission.
Raceday at the Curragh
Raceday at the Curragh
Getting there
The Curragh is on the open plain near Newbridge and Kildare town, roughly 50km (30 miles) south-west of Dublin. Eircode R56 RR67.
By road: M50 to Exit 9, then the N7 south and the M7 to Exit 12. Free on-site parking is available. By rail: mainline trains run from Heuston Station in Dublin (and from Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford) to Kildare town, with services also reaching Newbridge; a shuttle bus typically runs from both stations on race days, timed to arrivals. By air: Dublin Airport is around 50 minutes away by road.
Tickets and enclosures
Ticket prices and packages change year to year, and the Curragh has offered a discounted weekend pass covering all three days in recent seasons alongside standard daily admission. Check curragh.ie closer to the date for the current year's prices, or our Irish Derby Festival guide for the fuller picture on enclosures and what each ticket gets you.
Going and the ground
Late June typically brings quick summer ground: good to good-to-firm is the usual description, though the going can ride differently on the Curragh's straight course than on the round course. It softens as the season wears on, so check the going report on the morning of racing rather than assuming.
On-course betting
Tote facilities and on-course bookmakers operate across the enclosures. If you are opening an account before the festival, our bookmaker comparison guide and best free bet offers page cover welcome offers and each-way terms across the major firms.
Responsible gambling: if you bet at the festival or on it, stake only what you can afford to lose and set a limit before you start. Free help: BeGambleAware.org. 18+.
Sources & verification
Race details, dates and history in this piece were cross-checked against:
- Irish Derby - Wikipedia
- Pretty Polly Stakes - Wikipedia
- The Curragh - official fixtures
- Racing Post results
[Source: cross-referenced as of the lastUpdated date in this article's meta.yaml.]
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