Horse Racing Ireland September 2026 Fixtures

September is the Flat season’s Irish peak: Irish Champions Festival at Leopardstown and the Curragh, a full week at Listowel, the one-off Laytown strand card, and a two-day return to Galway. Below is the September 2026 list as published in the Horse Racing Ireland fixture sheet we compiled, then a short guide to four tracks punters actually travel to.

Evening cards are marked (e). Always re-check the racecourse site the day before — going, start times and hospitality sell-outs move.

September 2026 fixtures

Four dates worth circling

Saturday 12 – Sunday 13 September — Irish Champions Festival. Leopardstown’s Flat peak (Irish Champion Stakes / Matron Stakes territory) then day two on the Curragh. The dump’s Curragh copy puts Ireland’s five Classics and 11 Group 1s at that track across the year; this weekend is the September showpiece.

Thursday 10 September — Laytown (evening). The strand meeting. One card, unique surface, evening start. Treat it as a day out first; the betting markets are thin and the going is unlike anywhere else on the HRI list.

Sunday 20 – Saturday 26 September — Listowel. Seven consecutive days. Fairyhouse runs an evening card on the Monday in parallel. If you only travel once in September besides Champions weekend, this is the country festival.

Monday 7 – Tuesday 8 September — Galway. Two evening cards, not the seven-day summer festival (that sits on the August bank-holiday week in the same HRI sheet). Still the Ballybrit atmosphere, smaller crowds.

Galway Racecourse

The seven-day Galway Summer Festival (into the August bank holiday) is the year’s biggest crowd: Galway Plate (back to 1869) and Galway Hurdle, themed days, city-centre spillover. September is quieter — a two-day meeting (7–8 September 2026, both evenings) plus a separate three-day October festival on the same HRI calendar.

The track is at Ballybrit, about 6 km from Galway city, just off the M6.

Road: M6 from Dublin; from Cork, N20 then N18.
Bus: Bus Éireann to Galway city; festival shuttle from Eyre Square (outside The Skeff) — confirm on the day.
Rail: Iarnród Éireann to Galway.
Air: Shannon ~40 minutes; Ireland West (Knock) ~1 hour; Dublin ~2 hours. Helicopter landings need pre-registration with the course.

galwayraces.com · Ballybrit, Galway, H91 V654

Leopardstown Racecourse

Dublin’s only racecourse, about six miles from the centre. Year-round Flat and jumps: Christmas Festival, Dublin Racing Festival in February, Classic trials in spring, Bulmers Live in summer, and Irish Champions Festival in September. Group/Grade 1 names in the course copy include the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes, Matron Stakes and Irish Gold Cup.

Hospitality runs from private boxes to the 1888 restaurant over the parade ring. Student Race Day is ticket-only.

Road: M50 south, exit 14, then Leopardstown Road; M50 north, exit 15; from town, N11 then R113.
Bus: Dublin Bus.
Luas: Green Line to Sandyford / Brewery Road (~22 minutes from St Stephen’s Green); race-day shuttle from Sandyford.
Air: Dublin Airport ~30 minutes via M50 south.

leopardstown.com · Foxrock, Dublin 18, D18 C9V6

The Curragh

Kildare’s Flat headquarters — five Irish Classics (2,000 Guineas, 1,000 Guineas, Derby, Oaks, St Leger), 23 racedays and 11 Group 1s in the course copy. Irish Champions Festival day 2 is Sunday 13 September 2026, with further Curragh cards on 26 and 27 September.

Free car parking on racedays. Shuttle buses from Kildare Town and Newbridge stations are advertised on curragh.ie — check that page for 2026 times rather than last year’s PDF.

Road: M50 exit 9 onto N7, then M7 exit 12.
Rail: Heuston (and Cork / Limerick / Galway / Waterford mains) to Kildare Town or Newbridge, then course shuttle.

curragh.ie · Newbridge, Co. Kildare, R56 RR67

Dundalk Stadium

Ireland’s only floodlit all-weather (Polytrack, 10 furlongs), remodelled in 2007. Dual horse and greyhound venue; ~43 horse fixtures, busy from late October to mid-March. September still has Friday evening cards (18 and 25 September 2026).

Stands and the elevated viewing decks are built for night racing. Feature names in the course copy: Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Diamond Stakes, Pat Smullen Mercury Stakes (G3), Irish EBF Cooley Stakes.

Road: M1, N52 exit.
Bus: Bus Éireann 100x (Dublin Airport–Drogheda–Dundalk).
Rail: Connolly to Dundalk.
Air: Dublin Airport, with a bus link to Dundalk.

dundalkstadium.com · Racecourse Rd, Dowdallshill, Dundalk, Co. Louth, A91 FFP3

Written by Seamus O'Connor · Racing carries financial risk. 18+ only. Confirm fixtures on the racecourse site before you travel.