The Irish Field

04/01/2026

Mark Costello picks out some novelty bets being offered by bookmakers for 2026.

Our annual look at the novelty bet markets offered by the major bookmakers at the turn of the year

04/01/2026

Two Albert Bartlett runners-up, Affordale Fury and The Jukebox Man, won the big two chases over Christmas. The 2025 runner-up in that race is also one to follow, says Anne Marie Duff.

It was a feastful few days on the racing scene that left plenty of questions on the road to Cheltenham

04/01/2026

How does Gordon Elliott's lead in the trainers' championship compare with other years when the race has gone down to the wire? Mark Boylan investigates.

It has been a sensational first half of the season for the Cullentra trainer, who has a clear lead in the Irish National Hunt Trainers' Championship

04/01/2026

"With Inothewayurthinkin, Idonthaveacluewhattothink. There is a sense with this horse that others will always know more about how he will perform but, even by comparison with past campaigns, his efforts this season have been dismal."

Christmas is a time that can provide clarity to pecking order in the various divisions ahead of the spring, but the 2025 version seemed more about chaos

04/01/2026

"I decided to switch to National Hunt racing. I went down to Enda Bolger, where I couldn’t have received a better education."

John's enthusiasm has been a feature of his wins on the track and he is looking forward to some more in 2026

04/01/2026

"In a race of fine margins, Banbridge can be rated as being worthy a sectional upgrade... In a race that turned into a sprint, he was relatively poorly placed in sixth place when that sprint began."

Angus crunches the data figures to see what we learned from the big Christmas Grade 1 action

04/01/2026

Thanks to Patrick Mullins for this engaging interview with Daragh Ó Conchúir.

Daragh Ó Conchúir caught up with the award-winning amateur to reflect on a year of years

03/01/2026

Naas Grade 1 card postponed to Friday. Sunday PTPs also cancelled due to frosty weather.

The track was frozen on Saturday with little chance of a thaw in time for Sunday

03/01/2026

Many of the racetrack stars of the Christmas action began in points, and some were not expensive purchases, writes Eogháin Ward in The Irish Field this weekend

03/01/2026

This weekend in The Irish Field, John O'Riordan catches up with John Shinnick, whose enthusiasm has been a feature of his wins on the track and he is looking forward to some more in 2026

03/01/2026

In The Irish Field this weekend, Leo Powell reviews the pedigrees of three of the Christmas Grade 1 winners, including Final Demand

03/01/2026

Christmas is a time that can provide clarity to pecking order in the various divisions ahead of the spring, but the 2025 version seemed more about chaos, writes Tony Keenan in The Irish Field this weekend