IRISH racing was given an early indication at what the immediate future of all-weather racing in the country might look like with the publication of the 2027 fixture list this week.

One of the headline takeaways is that Horse Racing Ireland’s brand new all-weather track at Tipperary is officially on course to stage its first meeting on October 23rd. That initial fixture will take place on a Saturday evening, but the track will then race once a week thereafter until closer to Christmas, alternating from Monday nights to Wednesday nights every second week. In total, Tipperary has been given nine meetings in the final months of 2027.

A key question for many has been how HRI plans to roll out more all-weather fixtures in its calendar, when Dundalk already has an existing polytrack programme. The fixture list has already grown by more than 10% from 355 meetings a decade ago to 391 announced for this year.

HRI has previously stated that the Tipperary development “will see at least c.20 additional flat meetings held at the racecourse each year”.

It was revealed this week that Ireland will stage an even higher 396 race meetings next year, though Dundalk’s allocation has reduced slightly. The Co Louth venue’s allocation for 2026 was 43 meetings (taking at least one of Tipperary’s usual flat turf fixtures in that total) and that drops to 40 in 2027.

While only slightly lower than previous years, it further demonstrates that Dundalk has not grown by a considerable degree as the fixture list has grown. A decade ago, Dundalk had 38 fixtures in a 355-meeting calendar. They will now have 40 in a 396-fixture slate next year.

Announcing the nationwide programme for 2027, HRI’s director of racing Jonathan Mullin said: “The redevelopment of Tipperary racecourse to include a new all-weather track, and its opening fixture on October 23rd next year, will mark a significant moment for Irish racing. With nine fixtures in total at Tipperary next year, it signals a strategic investment in all-weather racing from Horse Racing Ireland, and the creation of increased opportunity for racing’s stakeholders.”

Thurles uncertainty

Nearby in Co Tipperary, it appears that uncertain times remain at Thurles Racecourse.

In July 2025, the Molony family, owners of Thurles, announced their retirement from racing and closure of their track with immediate effect. Following a period of close consultation between HRI, the Association of Irish Racecourses and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, a solution was found to keep the track operating through to the end of this season, while respecting the family’s decision to retire from management and operations.

The 2027 fixture list shows that racing is due to take place on 11 occasions at Thurles, though the final six scheduled from October onwards have been asterisked with ‘to be confirmed’ in the HRI publication.

When the Molony family announced they were stepping away from running the racecourse, “ever increasing industry demands and the cost of doing business” were cited as a “major factor” in the decision.

The fixture list for 2027 also contains the second year of the two-year Good Friday trial at the Curragh on March 26th. The staging of the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in September 2027 will have a slight impact on scheduling, with the Listowel Harvest Festival set to start a day later on Monday September 20th and finishing on Sunday September 26th.

Following the announcement that Oasis will play Slane Castle on September 4th and 5th, the intended Navan fixture on September 4th has been moved to the evening of September 2nd. Kilbeggan’s two-day fixture intended for September 2nd and 3rd has been moved to the evening of September 3rd and the afternoon of September 4th.

The Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown will continue to be staged over the St Brigid’s Bank Holiday weekend, January 30th and 31st. This will lead to a Saturday clash with Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham.