HORSE Racing Ireland has given an early warning that it will expand the academy hurdle series this season.

Introduced last October, academy hurdles are restricted to three-year-olds who have not previously run in flat races, with the aim of encouraging an earlier start to hurdling.

Overall the inaugural series attracted plenty of runners and produced some high quality winners such as Gordon Elliott’s Highland Crystal, Jessica Harrington’s Quinta Do Lago and John Nallen’s Minella Academy and Minella Yoga.

But it remains a controversial point for some that winners can still run in ‘ordinary’ maiden hurdles without a penalty, while non-winners can revert to point-to-points.

According to statistics compiled by HRI, some 40% of the runners in last season’s races were fillies. An ITBA NH Fillies’ Bonus of €7,500 goes to any filly winning an academy hurdle who is registered for that scheme. Sales vouchers are also given to connections of horses finishing the in first three.

The programme of races for the latter part of this year will be released in the middle of July as part of the Provisional Summary for September to December 2026.

The programme of academy hurdles in the spring of 2027 will be published in November as part of the January to May NH Provisional Summary.

Auction hurdles

Last October HRI announced revised conditions that will broaden the reach of the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction & Median Maiden/Novice Hurdles over the jumps season ahead.

These will begin in September and, having previously been targeted towards store horses, they will now be open to horses who sold for €15,000 or less as foals or yearlings.

They also include a median auction element which should assist owner-breeders who have a horse with a sire where the median auction value is below €15,000 that did not go through a sale.

Raise You Up, trained by Ross O’Sullivan, won the €75,000 Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Series Hurdle Final at the Punchestown Festival last month.