ENTRIES for Ireland’s first academy hurdle race will be revealed next Tuesday and yesterday Horse Racing Ireland [HRI] announced that it will expand the controversial series of three-year-old hurdles next season.

Academy hurdles are restricted to horses who have never raced on the flat and they aim to encourage owners and trainers to put young National Horses into the racing system at an earlier age. Seven academy hurdles have been programmed over the next three months, the first of which is at Cork next Sunday. The most controversial aspect of the series is that the winners remain eligible to run in ‘normal’ maiden hurdles.

On Friday HRI revealed that the series will be repeated in the autumn of 2026 and that from 2027 academy hurdle races will begin in the spring. Speaking to Racing TV, HRI’s head of racing and insights Richard Pugh said: “Other jurisdictions already do this and we are announcing it now because the two-year-old stores offered for sale next summer will be the three-year-olds of 2027. Vendors will be nominating for those sales this autumn so it is timely to let everybody know now that the races will be there for those horses in the spring of 2027.”

This was one of several initiatives launched by HRI yesterday aimed at making National Hunt racing more competitive and creating more opportunities for horses with modest price tags or racing records.

Auction races

New conditions will apply to the National Hunt auction race programme which will see the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdles Series open up to a greater population of horses.

From the start of the 2026-’27 season, this series will expand to permit foals and yearlings bought at qualifying public sales and will also include a median auction qualification which will bring many owner-breeders into these races for the first time. From September to May there will be 20 maiden hurdles in the series, along with three €20,000 novice hurdles, plus the €75,000 final at the Punchestown Festival.

Next year will also see further growth in the number of 110 benchmark finals. The first trial in the €25,000 110 Series Final took place at Killarney in July. These finals are open to horses who have run in the qualifying period with participation and balloting linked to performance in those races within the period.

According to HRI, these races have the potential to provide a destination race for a large portion of the NH population of horses and provide opportunities to owners and trainers at all levels.

Unplaced maidens

Anther change to the programme is the opening of unplaced maiden hurdles to horses that have run at least twice (rather than three times), have not finished in the first four and have not run in a graded race.

There is also a tweak to the balloting conditions for cross-country races which will work in favour of horses who regularly run in such races and are targeted at them.

Jonathan Mullin, HRI’s director of racing, said: “With the National Hunt season taking shape both on the course and in the sales ring, it is timely to outline the strategy which HRI are committed to progressing to support National Hunt racing at all levels.

“Each of these initiatives are important in their own right but outline a joined-up strategy for National Hunt racing in Ireland encouraging horses to begin their career earlier along with providing suitable opportunities for most of the horse population.”

Joe Foley, Irish EBF chairman, added: “The Irish EBF board wholeheartedly welcome the enhancements to the Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series.

These changes will deliver an even bigger and better series for a wider population of auction bought horses plus the addition of home-bred horses.”