Thurles Racing Secured Through March 2027 After Winter Rescue Deal

Thurles has been kept on the racing map through March 2027, with the Tipperary track set to open its next season on October 8 and retain the winter jumps fixtures that matter so much to trainers, riders and regular followers of the code.

Horse Racing Ireland and Thurles Race Company have agreed a short-term continuation deal after a successful winter season, extending racing at Ireland’s only privately owned racecourse beyond the immediate rescue that followed the shock closure announcement in August 2025. That earlier decision, which was due to take effect at once, cited the cost of doing business and rising industry demands, and it briefly put one of the sport’s most dependable winter venues in jeopardy.

HRI stepped in to keep Thurles racing through the winter after that announcement, and this latest arrangement carries the venue through another season while longer-term discussions continue. The track’s value is not hard to measure from a racing perspective. It sits only a few kilometres from Thurles town centre, and HRI has long described it as unusually reliable when winter weather begins to knock out meetings elsewhere. That durability is why Thurles is often treated as a lifeline on the jumping calendar, not just another fixture.

The closure scare drew a strong response across racing, with Willie Mullins, Ted Walsh, AP McCoy and Ruby Walsh all voicing concern or disappointment at the prospect of losing the course. That reaction told the story better than any corporate statement could. Thurles is not only a working track, it is woven into the sport’s memory, and it was the scene of first winners for both AP McCoy and Rachael Blackmore.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board has said the licensing year for racecourses runs from January 1 to December 31, while also underlining the scale of the sport’s wider footprint. Ireland’s horseracing industry supports more than 30,000 jobs and contributes €2.46 billion to the economy, figures that help explain why the preservation of one winter venue can carry such weight beyond County Tipperary.

For now, the immediate prize is simple: Thurles stays in the rotation, winter racing keeps a crucial stop, and the industry has bought time at a track that still matters on the ground, not just on paper.