KILDARE’S senior football team play Westmeath in the Leinster semi-final on Sunday and they can get an early glimpse of the Sam Maguire Cup if they go racing at the Curragh a day later, on Monday, May 4th.

The bank holiday meeting sees the return of the Newbridge Parishes Community Raceday, a very popular and fun family day in the racing calendar.

Over €600,000 has been raised since the Newbridge Parishes Community Raceday was launched nearly 40 years ago, with funds distributed directly to community-based projects in St Conleth’s and Church of Ireland Parishes.

There will be lots of free family entertainment throughout the afternoon in the Moyglare Kids Zone, and performances from local stage schools in the Champions Hall, with a special guest appearance by local star Caelan Power, lead dancer with Riverdance.

Exhibition games by children from various local sports clubs will take place on the racetrack between races, and their dreams of holding an All-Ireland trophy will become a reality as the Sam Maguire Cup, the Tailteann Cup and the Joe McDonagh Cup, won by the Kildare senior hurlers in 2025, will all be on display.

In celebration of the ‘Year of the Horse’, the Irish Chinese Information Centre and the local Chinese community will bring lots of colour and culture to the day with themed dragon and tiger dance performances throughout the enclosures. The Group 2 Coolmore Delacroix Clem Murphy Mooresbridge Stakes is the feature race of an eight-race card. Racing starts at 1.15pm and children under 18 will be admitted free if accompanied by an adult.