Racing: The summer flat racing programme was launched at a reception in Dublin's Four Seasons Hotel today, with leading trainers Jim Bolger and Aidan O'Brien in attendance.
Others present at the lunch hosted by Horse Racing Ireland and the Curragh and Leopardstown racecourses included Michael Halford, Ger Lyons and Dermot Weld.
Highlights of the forthcoming campaign include the Boylesports Irish Guineas Festival on May 26th and 27th, with the Tattersalls Gold Cup on the second day boasting record prize money of €300,000.
The Budweiser Irish Derby Festival takes place from June 29th to July 1st, while the Summer Racing Carnival on July 14th and 15th will feature the Darley Irish Oaks.
The Autumn Festival of Racing has been extended to three days, from September 14th to 16th, featuring the Parknasilla Hotel Goffs Million on day one, Ireland's richest race day.
This year has seen the beginning of the Curragh's redevelopment programme, while Leopardstown has completed the first phase of its redevelopment.
The 2006 season provided more big-race successes with Dylan Thomas winning both the Budweiser Irish Derby and the Baileys Irish Champion Stakes, while Miss Beatrix landed the Goffs Million Race and Moyglare Stud Stakes.
Four of the five domestic Classics were kept in Ireland, with George Washington a brilliant winner of the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.
Yeats recorded a notable double in taking the Ascot Gold Cup and the Goodwood Cup respectively, and his stablemate Alexandrova became the 11th filly to complete the English-Irish Oaks double.
Jim Bolger finished off the 2006 season with Teofilo and Finsceal Beo crowned champion European two-year-old colt and filly respectively.