HORSE Racing Ireland and Leopardstown Racecourse have today confirmed the dates for next year’s Dublin Racing Festival, which will see the popular two-day racing festival take place on Saturday February 6 and Sunday February 7.

The confirmation of the 2021 dates comes as the event has now established itself as one of the marquee festivals in the racing calendar. Eight Grade 1s across two days of high-class racing, with a concentration on quality, has led to a surge in booking queries for 2021 and today’s confirmation of next year’s dates.

Next year’s Dublin Racing Festival will maintain the gap that currently exists between Leopardstown and Limerick’s Christmas festivals and organisers are sure there will be a sufficient gap between the meeting and the Cheltenham Festival.

This month’s Dublin Racing Festival saw an increased share of overseas visitors among those who pre-purchased tickets, with almost a third coming from overseas in 2020 compared with 25% in 2019. The majority of overseas bookings came from Britain.

Speaking about the announcement, Tim Husbands, CEO of Leopardstown, said: “It’s great that the appetite to get Dublin Racing Festival 2021 set in stone was there from all parties including ourselves, our sponsors, HRI and the industry as a whole.

This year’s festival was just finishing when the conversation from owners, trainers and racegoers was Dublin Racing Festival 2021. Having the dates set this far out allows those looking to travel from overseas to make plans and it’s really important for us to embrace them and let them know that they are an important part of the festival’s success.”

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