The K Club will be hosting the tournament for the first time, but the Palmer South Course, which was previously known as the Smurfit Course, hosted the European Open three times at the start of the century.

More than 120 players from over 30 nations will compete on this Ladies European Tour (LET) event which runs until Sunday.

As in previous years, Cavan’s Leona Maguire will spearhead the home challenge, which this time will consist of 16 Irish players – the highest in the tournament’s recent history.

Maguire will be strongly backed up by the likes of Áine Donegan, Anna Foster, Beth Coulter and Lauren Walsh, as they all bid to become the first Irish winners of the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.

Commenting on the strength and depth of the 2026 field, Ryan McCarthy, Managing Partner, KPMG in Ireland, said:

“The strength and international depth of this year’s field is a reflection of how far the KPMG Women’s Irish Open has come in a relatively short period of time. As proud sponsors of ambition, we are delighted to see some of the world’s best players competing alongside emerging talent and a record contingent of 16 Irish golfers. The championship continues to provide an important platform to inspire the next generation, showcase Ireland on the global stage, and celebrate the continued growth of women’s golf. We look forward to welcoming players, fans and families to The K Club for what promises to be another exceptional week.”

The international contingent will be lead by Shannon Tan from Singapore, winner of last season’s Order of Merit. Winners from the current LET season such as Noora Komulainen, Leonie Harm, Smilla Tarning Soenderby, Esme Hamilton, Agathe Laisne and Kelsey Bennett are all in the starting field.

Tournament Details

The 2026 KPMG Women’s Irish Open will tee off on Thursday morning at 7.45am.

Check out the Round 1 Draw here

Tickets cost €25 on both Thursday and Friday, and €30 on both Saturday and Sunday.

A weekend pass, which overs both Saturday and Sunday, is available for €50, while a Week Pass, which allows entry to the four days of the tournament, can be purchased for €90.

Children under 16 are free on all days of the tournament.

Tickets can be bought at the gate each day, and are also available to purchase in advance online.

The post 2026 KPMG Women’s Irish Open at The K Club appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The launch marks the beginning of three huge Sundays for GAA Rounders, with Women’s, Men’s and Mixed All-Ireland champions to be crowned across Junior, Intermediate and Senior grades.

GAA President Jarlath Burns and GAA Rounders President Paula Doherty were joined in Croke Park by representatives from the clubs who will contest this year’s finals.

A total of 103 teams began the 2026 Championship season back in April, with just 18 now remaining to contest the nine All-Ireland finals.

Women’s All-Ireland Finals – Sunday 30 August

Venue: NGDC Abbotstown, Dublin 15

Junior Women – 11am

St Kieran’s (Limerick) v St Senan’s (Limerick)

The opening game of the finals series will make history as the first all-Limerick pairing in a GAA Rounders All-Ireland final.

Intermediate Women – 1pm

Elphin (Roscommon) v Galway City Rapparees (Galway)

Elphin return to All-Ireland final day after finishing runners-up in the Junior Women’s competition last season.

Galway City Rapparees are one of the stories of the 2026 Championship, with the Galway club reaching three All-Ireland finals across the Women’s and Mixed competitions.

Senior Women – 3.30pm

Breaffy (Mayo) v Limekiln (Dublin)

Breaffy will attempt to complete a remarkable five Senior Women’s All-Ireland titles in succession.

Men’s All-Ireland Finals – Sunday 6 September

Venue: Offaly GAA Centre of Excellence, Kilcormac

Junior Men – 11am

Gusserane (Wexford) v Myshall (Carlow)

Two Leinster clubs will battle for the opening Men’s title of the afternoon.

Intermediate Men – 1pm

St Clare’s (Cavan) v St Senan’s (Limerick)

St Senan’s are back on All-Ireland finals weekend after winning both the Junior Men’s and Junior Mixed titles in 2025.

Senior Men – 3.30pm

Carrickmacross Emmets (Monaghan) v Erne Eagles (Cavan)

The Senior Men’s decider is a repeat of the 2025 final, which was won by Carrickmacross Emmets.

They face one of the most successful teams in GAA Rounders history. Erne Eagles famously won ten consecutive Senior Men’s All-Ireland titles between 1998 and 2007.

Mixed All-Ireland Finals – Sunday 13 September

Venue: Mallow GAA, Cork

Junior Mixed – 11am

Galway City Rapparees (Galway) v Kilmore (Roscommon)

Galway City Rapparees will begin a remarkable day for the club when their Junior Mixed side face Kilmore.

Kilmore were Junior Men’s runners-up in 2025 and will now look to secure an All-Ireland title in the Mixed competition.

Intermediate Mixed – 1pm

Emo (Laois) v Galway City Rapparees (Galway)

Rapparees return to the field just two hours later for a second Mixed final, this time against Emo.

Emo will be looking to go one better after finishing runners-up in last year’s Intermediate Mixed final.

Senior Mixed – 3.30pm

Breaffy (Mayo) v Glynn Barntown (Wexford)

Breaffy will be chasing their third consecutive Senior Mixed All-Ireland title when they face Wexford club Glynn Barntown.

Galway City Rapparees Reach Three All-Ireland Finals

Galway City Rapparees have emerged as the only club appearing in three different finals this year.

The Galway club will contest the Intermediate Women’s, Junior Mixed and Intermediate Mixed finals.

It continues a rapid rise for Rapparees, who won the Junior Mixed All-Ireland title in 2024 before claiming the Intermediate Men’s championship in 2025.

St Senan’s Continue Remarkable Run

Limerick club St Senan’s will also have two teams competing for national honours.

They face fellow Limerick club St Kieran’s in the Junior Women’s final before their Intermediate Men take on St Clare’s of Cavan a week later.

St Senan’s won two Junior All-Ireland titles in 2025, taking both the Men’s and Mixed championships.

Jarlath Burns Welcomes Growth of GAA Rounders

Speaking at the Croke Park launch, GAA President Jarlath Burns welcomed the continued growth of Rounders and highlighted the importance of the sport in providing opportunities for people to become part of Gaelic Games.

Burns also praised TG4 for its long-standing contribution to Gaelic Games and welcomed the broadcaster’s decision to carry the 2026 Rounders All-Ireland Finals.

“The growth in the numbers playing GAA Rounders is a really exciting development for the sport.”

Paula Doherty: Three Outstanding Weekends Ahead

GAA Rounders President Paula Doherty congratulated the players, clubs and volunteers who have reached the final stage of the Championship.

She said the three finals weekends would showcase the quality of Rounders and the work being done by clubs and volunteers throughout Ireland.

“These finals weekends will showcase the very best of our sport.”

2026 GAA Rounders All-Ireland Finals Schedule

The post GAA Rounders All-Ireland Finals 2026: All Nine Finals Live on TG4 YouTube appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Limerick hurling star Cathal O’Neill has celebrated another major milestone, graduating from the University of Limerick just weeks after being named Man of the Match in the All-Ireland final.

“I remember getting free and in fairness to Aaron Gillane, he played an unbelievable pass inside and I just decided to go for it. It’s a lovely moment to look back on for sure.”

“I think it was particularly special given the two years previous we had. 2024 and 2025 hurt us a lot and just to get to the top again means a great deal.”

Balancing Limerick hurling and university life

“I think in UL it’s actually easier than most colleges to balance your studies and sport because you are looking around at hundreds of other athletes doing the very same thing. “The facilities for training are top notch and also you’ve the library there to put in hours needed for studying.”

From Crecora-Manister to Limerick

“Scoil Naomh Iósaf had a profound impact on me with regards to hurling. The school is steeped in GAA tradition and the teachers there had a massive enthusiasm for sport.”

Fitzgibbon Cup success with UL

“I chose UL because I had grown up going to training for Limerick underage out there. My father also used to take me to Fitzgibbon Cup games so, I suppose, I was never going to go anywhere else.”

O’Neill begins teaching career

“I’m starting a teaching job in Coláiste Chiaráin the day after my graduation. I’m teaching PE and Irish with full 22 hours so I’m delighted with that. “I did my last placement there and I loved it so I’m very excited to go back now as an actual teacher.”

Club championship now the focus

“As an athlete I think you are always trying to just look forward to the next thing and the club has my full attention at the moment. “I’m aware how fortunate I am to be part of this Limerick hurling team at this time and have some incredible memories of the last six years.”

SportsNewsIRELAND – Irish sport news, interviews and analysis.

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A fleet of 141 sailors from around the world took to Dublin Bay for the opening day of the six-day regatta, the first World Championships for an Olympic sailing class to be staged in Ireland in over 25 years.

The sailors were met by a light easterly breeze, which gradually filled in across the racecourse and allowed racing to begin in a steady seven to nine knots. The wind shifted midway through the day, forcing a course change for the final race, before building to approximately 15 knots. Three races were completed in good conditions.

Lynch wins first race

Finn Lynch opened his championships in impressive form. The National Yacht Club member secured a comfortable victory in the first race of the day. He followed that with a second-place finish in race two and a fourth in race three, leaving him at the top of the overall standings.

Speaking after racing, Lynch said:

“I’m happy with how the first day went, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. We’re competing against the best sailors in the world and the conditions are tricky. I’ve sailed here all my life and I’ve never experienced a day quite like today on Dublin Bay, so the plan for the rest of the week is to stick with what works and take each day as it comes.”

Other Irish in action

Fellow Irish sailor Ewan McMahon from Howth Yacht Club also began his championships with a strong eighth-place finish. He followed that with a 19th and a mid-fleet result, which became his discard, leaving him 48th overall after the opening day.

Irish Sailing Development Squad sailors Fiachra McDonnell of Royal Irish Yacht Club and Bobby Driscoll from Ballyholme Yacht Club were also in action. Both gained valuable experience against a world-class fleet. McDonnell recorded an impressive 17th-place finish among his results.

Racing continues tomorrow with the second day of the qualification series, before Gold Fleet racing begins on Wednesday. The championships conclude on Sunday, 30 August, with two Medal Series races deciding the final podium positions.

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With all nine GAA Rounders All-Ireland final line-ups now confirmed, the provincial breakdown makes for fascinating reading — and it is Connacht that leads the way.

Across the Junior, Intermediate and Senior grades in Women’s, Men’s and Mixed, there are 18 places available in the nine All-Ireland finals.

Connacht has claimed seven of those 18 places, despite having just 22 teams from eight clubs competing across the championships.

That means almost one in every three Connacht team entries has reached an All-Ireland final.

Connacht leads the provincial standings with seven finalists, followed by Leinster with five, while Ulster and Munster have three each.

Connacht Dominates the Mixed Championships

The standout area for Connacht has been Mixed Rounders, where the province has produced an extraordinary four of the six All-Ireland finalists.

Breaffy will take on Glynn Barntown in the Senior Mixed final.

Galway City Rapparees face Emo in the Intermediate decider, while the Junior final will be an all-Connacht affair between Galway City Rapparees and Kilmore.

It means Connacht is already guaranteed at least one Mixed All-Ireland title and has a representative in every Mixed final.

The province could yet complete a remarkable clean sweep of the three Mixed grades.

Half of the Women’s Finalists Are from Connacht

Connacht has also enjoyed an outstanding championship in the Women’s grades, providing three of the six finalists.

Breaffy face Limekiln in the Senior final, while Galway City Rapparees take on fellow Connacht side Elphin at Intermediate level.

St Kieran’s and St Senan’s complete the Women’s programme with an all-Limerick Junior final.

Between Mixed and Women’s Rounders, Connacht therefore provides seven of the 12 finalists.

Remarkably, the province doesn’t have a representative in any of the three Men’s finals.

Three Connacht Men’s Teams Fall at Semi-Final Stage

That statistic doesn’t tell the full story of Connacht’s Men’s championship performances.

Three Connacht Men’s teams reached the All-Ireland semi-final stage, only for all three to be eliminated before the finals.

So while Connacht has no Men’s finalist, the province still had significant representation at the business end of the Men’s championships.

Combine those three Men’s semi-finalists with Connacht’s seven finalists in Mixed and Women’s and 10 of the province’s 22 team entries reached at least an All-Ireland semi-final.

That’s 45.5% of all Connacht entries reaching the last four or better.

For a province containing just eight participating clubs, it is a remarkable return.

Ulster’s Challenge Is Almost Exclusively Men’s

If Connacht’s success is concentrated in Mixed and Women’s Rounders, Ulster presents almost the complete opposite picture.

Ulster has three finalists — and all three are Men’s teams.

Erne Eagles and Carrickmacross will contest an all-Ulster Senior Men’s final, while St Clare’s have reached the Intermediate Men’s decider against St Senan’s.

Outside of the Senior Men’s final and St Clare’s at Intermediate level, there is no Ulster representation across the other seven All-Ireland finals.

No Ulster side has reached a Women’s final and there are no Ulster representatives in any of the Mixed finals.

It creates one of the most interesting contrasts of the championship:

Connacht — seven finalists, but none in Men’s.

Ulster — three finalists, all in Men’s.

Limerick Provides All Three Munster Finalists

Munster’s three finalists also produce a striking statistic.

Every one of them comes from Limerick.

St Senan’s will contest the Intermediate Men’s final against St Clare’s, while St Kieran’s and St Senan’s meet in the Junior Women’s final.

It means Limerick is responsible for 100% of Munster’s representation across the nine All-Ireland finals.

The all-Limerick Junior Women’s decider also guarantees the county at least one All-Ireland title.

Leinster the Only Province Represented Across All Three

Leinster sits second in the overall standings with five of the 18 finalist places.

What makes Leinster’s performance notable is the spread of those teams.

• Two Mixed finalists
• Two Men’s finalists
• One Women’s finalist

That makes Leinster the only province with representation in the All-Ireland finals across all three disciplines — Women’s, Men’s and Mixed.

While Connacht leads on overall numbers, Leinster has produced the most evenly distributed challenge.

Galway City Rapparees Lead the Club Count

At individual club level, Galway City Rapparees have three teams contesting All-Ireland finals, the highest representation of any club.

Rapparees entered five adult championship teams this season and have reached the Intermediate Women’s, Intermediate Mixed and Junior Mixed finals.

That’s a 60% final conversion rate — three finalists from five entries.

They account for three of Connacht’s seven final places on their own.

Breaffy and St Senan’s have also enjoyed outstanding championships, with two teams each reaching All-Ireland finals.

GAA Rounders 2026 Provincial Finalist Breakdown

Breakdown by Discipline

• Mixed: Connacht 4, Leinster 2
• Men’s: Ulster 3, Leinster 2, Munster 1
• Women’s: Connacht 3, Munster 2, Leinster 1

The figures tell several very different provincial stories.

Four of the six Mixed finalists are from Connacht. Half of the Women’s finalists are from Connacht. Half of the Men’s finalists are from Ulster. Every Munster finalist comes from Limerick. Leinster is the only province represented across all three disciplines.

But perhaps the standout statistic remains Connacht’s overall return.

Just 22 teams from eight clubs entered from the province — seven have reached All-Ireland finals and 10 made it as far as the semi-final stage.

For such a relatively small playing base, that is an exceptional return from Connacht in the 2026 GAA Rounders Championships.

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From football and rugby to GAA Rounders, athletics, golf, tennis and Aussie Rules, there is a packed week of live sport ahead across Irish television and streaming platforms.

SportsNewsIreland has pulled together the key live events from Tuesday through Sunday, including European football, international rugby, the GAA Rounders All-Ireland Finals and more than 100 live club GAA matches available across Clubber, StreamSport and other streaming services.

Tuesday

• 6:00pm — South Africa v New Zealand — Sky Sports Action
• 8:00pm — LASK v Celtic — Premier Sports
• 8:00pm — Glint v GNK Dynamo — Virgin Media Two
• 8:00pm — Valencia v Real Betis — Premier Sports 2

Wednesday

• 8:00pm — Real Madrid v Real Sociedad — Premier Sports
• 8:00pm — Lyon v Fenerbahçe — RTÉ2
• 8:00pm — Viking v NEC — Virgin Media Two

Thursday

• 5:00pm — Champions League Draw — Virgin Media Two
• 7:00pm — Diamond League Athletics — Virgin Media Two

Friday

• 10:40am — Bulldogs v Collingwood — Aussie Rules Playoffs — TNT Sports
• 8:00pm — Drogheda v Dundalk — Virgin Media Two

Saturday

• 10:40am — Melbourne v Carlton — Aussie Rules Playoffs — TNT Sports
• 12:30pm — Liverpool v Nottingham Forest — TNT Sports 1
• 1:00pm — Sandown Racing — Virgin Media One
• 3:00pm — Bournemouth v Everton — Premier Sports
• 4:10pm — South Africa v New Zealand
• 4:30pm — Leinster v Munster — Women’s Interpros Rugby — TG4 YouTube
• 5:00pm — Texas v North Carolina — TG4
• 8:00pm — Argentina v Australia — Sky Sports+

Sunday

• 11:00am — St Kieran’s v St Senan’s — Junior All-Ireland Final, GAA Rounders — TG4 YouTube
• 11:00am — US Open Tennis — Sky Sports
• 1:00pm — Galway City Rapparees v Elphin — Intermediate All-Ireland Final, GAA Rounders — TG4 YouTube
• 1:00pm — Chelsea v Brighton — Sky Sports
• 2:00pm — Irish Women’s Open Golf — RTÉ2
• 3:30pm — Breaffy v Limekiln — Senior All-Ireland Final, GAA Rounders — TG4 YouTube
• 4:30pm — Manchester United v Ipswich — Sky Sports
• 7:00pm — PGA Tour Golf — Sky Sports

A Huge Week of Live Sport

Whether your sport is football, rugby, GAA, GAA Rounders, tennis, golf, athletics, horse racing or Aussie Rules, there is plenty to watch across the week.

Keep up with SportsNewsIreland for the latest sports news, previews, analysis, results and coverage from Ireland and around the world.

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Love Me Tender, a German purchase for Willie Mullins, heads the market for the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap, as the Closutton handler bids to win this race for the third time in four years. The four-year-old, who hasn’t run for almost 300 days, will be the mount of William Buick, and is in the same ownership as last year’s winner, Ethical Diamond.

Galway maiden hurdle winner, Mr Hollywood, is another Closutton representative and the third-place finisher in the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot will have the assistance of Saffie Osborne.

Colin Keane, Andrew Balding and Juddmonte have all had a very successful week at York, and they could have another win here with Tarriance. A previous course and distance winner, the four-year-old gelding had a nice prep race for the Ebor when fourth at Goodwood 21 days ago.

Ryan Moore is booked to ride Emit for Joseph O’Brien. Fourth in the Duke Of Edinburgh at Royal Ascot in June, the English jockey maintains his partnership with the bay son of Too Darn Hot. This is significant as Moore has often ridden for Willie Mullins in many of the major staying races in Britain. Choosing to remain loyal to the Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd gelding should not be overlooked.

Poetic Sound will represent Ger Lyons. The five-year-old son of Poet’s Word will wear blinkers for the first time, and he will be ridden by Gary Carroll.

The final Irish runner is the Henry De Bromhead-trained Ascending. He was runner-up to Ethical Diamond in the Sky Bet Ebor last season and had previously won the Ascot Stakes over two-and-a-half miles. The mount of Oisín Orr might look a decent each-way bet at around 20/1.

Sky Bet City Of York Stakes

There also the Group 1 Sky Bet City Of York Stakes on Saturday with 14 runners going to post.

Puerto Rico and Power Blue will represent Aidan O’Brien and Robson Aguair respectively, but the 2024 Betfred 2000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes winner, Notable Speech, will be all the rage to give Charlie Appleby a winner. Incredibly, the Godolphin trainer hasn’t had a runner during the first three days of the four-day meeting.

The Queen Anne Stakes winner at Ascot, Ten Bob Tony, the mount of Kieran Shoemark, was only two-and-three-quarter lengths behind Bow Echo in the Sussex Stakes, so should be involved here, while the Group 2 Lennox Stakes winner, Lake Forest, should also come into the reckoning.

Irish-trained runner at York on Saturday:

1.50 Sky Bet Strensall Stakes (Group 3)

Expanded (IRE) A P O’Brien
Geryon (IRE) G M Lyons

2.25 Sky Bet Melrose Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race)

Limestone (IRE) Joseph Patrick O’Brien
Sharkeyboy (FR) W P Mullins
Bay Of Stars (GB) D K Weld
Vantage Code (IRE) Emmet Mullins

3.00 Sky Bet City Of York Stakes (Group 1)

Power Blue (IRE) Robson Aguiar
Puerto Rico (IRE) A P O’Brien

3.35 Sky Bet Ebor Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race)

Mr Hollywood (IRE) W P Mullins
Emit (IRE) Joseph Patrick O’Brien
Poetic Sound (IRE) G M Lyons
Ascending (IRE) Henry De Bromhead
Love Me Tender (GER) W P Mullins

4.45 Julia Graves Roses Stakes (Listed)

Hanney Boy (IRE) Miss E McCutcheon

5.20 Sky Bet Dav Reid Finale Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race)

Diego El Queso (IRE) G M Lyons

The post Can Mullins land another Sky Bet Ebor? appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Trained by Wesley Ward, who had come close to winning this sprint Group 1 before, the Juan Hernandez-ridden son of Maclean’s Music broke smartly from the gates, and led all the way.

When ridden by Hernandez inside the final furlong, the three-year-old quickened clear and was never in danger, as he took out a length-and-three-quarters victory for owners Myracehorse, Gladwell, Dailey and Dejablu.

Only beaten once in his racing career to date over five furlongs, when second at Santa Anita in October 2025, the chestnut colt had won his previous race in Britain, in the Palace Of Holyroodehouse Handicap at Royal Ascot in June.

This afternoon, the Rossa Ryan-ridden Starlust (25/1) was second for Ralph Beckett, while Rumpstar (22/1) was third, under Rob Hornby, a nose behind the runner-up.

Al Nayyir takes Lonsdale Cup

Al Nayyir (9/1) outstayed Illinois to win the Group 2 Weatherby’s Lonsdale Cup over 2 miles and 56 yards.

The 8-runner race saw William Buick keep the Tom Clover-handled eight-year-old in mid-division for much of the contest, before making significant headway at the one-furlong pole.

The Ryan Moore-ridden Illinois, who had been prominent throughout, claimed the lead with two furlongs to run. The son of Galileo wasn’t headed until the dying strides of the race, and had to settle for second at 13/2.

Mount Atlas (4/1), for the inform Andrew Balding, took third under P J McDonald, two-and-a-quarter lengths behind the runner-up.

Arapaho Gold wins Gimcrack

The race favourite, Marco Polo (13/8), could only manage eighth place in the Group 2 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Gimcrack Stakes for Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore and the Coolmore partners.

Arapaho Gold (2/1) was a three-quarters-of-a-length winner for Connor Beasley and Michael Dodds, with Final Objective (18/1) second under James Doyle.

Another winner for Colin Keane

Colin Keane bagged another York winner this afternoon when partnering Joseph O’Brien’s Benjamin Hornigold (16/1) to victory in the £100,000 British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes (GBB Race).

Named after an English pirate, the son of Blackbeard had two lengths to spare over Dover Street (40/1) and Pat Dobbs, with Sole Ambition (33/1) third for Kieran Shoemark.

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With 18 horses declared for the five-furlong sprint, Wesley Ward’s once beaten, Bacio, winner of the Palace Of Holyroodehouse Handicap at Royal Ascot in June, is expected to go off as favourite for jockey Juan Hernandez.

Juddmonte reclaimed most of their sponsorship money on Wednesday when winning the Juddmonte International Stakes with Item, and Coolmore will attempt the same feat in the Nunthorpe with Mission Central.

Bred by Gigginstown House Stud, the gelded son of No Nay Never also won at Royal Ascot over five furlongs. He was a winner of the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes from Rayevka, who also re-opposed today, and will provide a strong challenge, and Overpass.

The Aidan O’Brien-handled Mission Central disappointed the last day when only seventh in the Group 1 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai July Cup Stakes at Newmarket, and it was noticeable that he faded in the final furlong. Back down to five furlongs on Friday, he should be more suited to the distance and should be in the final shake-up.

For last year’s winner, Asfoora, this may be her final race for trainer Henry Dwyer, who will hope to see her retire to the breeding shed on a positive note. She will again be the mount of Oisín Murphy.

Weatherby’s Lonsdale Cup

The Group 2 Weatherby’s Lonsdale Cup Stakes for the stayers goes to post at 2.25pm. The £250,000 contest sees the return of Cabelloa De Mar from his exertions in the God Cup at Royal Ascot in late June. The son of Phoenix Of Spain will represent George Scott and will be the mount of Oisín Murphy.

Amiloc has not won since the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2025, and was well supported the last day before jockey Hector Crouch was unseated leaving the stalls in the Group 1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup Stakes. Rossa Ryan, the son of Postponed’s regular rider will take the mount on Friday.

Illinois will represent Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore, with the in-form Colin Keane teaming up with Willie Mullins’ runner, Columbus. The Paddy Twomey-handled Carmers is now a non-runner.

Irish-trained runners at York on Friday, 21 August 2026.

1.50 Sky Bet Mile Handicap (Heritage Handicap)

Krasimir (IRE) G M Lyons

2.25 Weatherbys Lonsdale Cup Stakes (Group 2)

Columbus (GER) W P Mullins
Illinois (IRE) A P O’Brien

3.00 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes (Group 2)

Marco Polo (IRE) A P O’Brien

3.35 Coolmore City Of Troy Nunthorpe Stakes (Group 1)

Mission Central (IRE) A P O’Brien

4.10 Assured Data Protection Handicap (Heritage Handicap) (GBBPlus Race)

Truth Be Told (IRE) M C Grassick
Zanndabad (IRE) A J Martin

4.45 British Stallion Studs EBF Convivial Maiden Stakes (GBB Race)

Benjamin Hornigold (GB) Joseph Patrick O’Brien
Oklahoma (USA) A P O’Brien

The post Group 1 Coolmore Nunthorpe is York Friday feature appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

It was a second Group 1 victory in two days for Keane and Juddmonte, having won the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes with Item yesterday.

The Andrew Balding-trained Kalpana, winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on her most recent racecourse appearance, started today’s contest as the 10/11 favourite in the nine-runner field.

Her opposition included the winner of this race last year, Minnie Hauk (4/1), and the recent Group 1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks winner, Johanna Walsh (5/1), the mount of Dylan Browne McMonagle.

Sugar Island, the stable mate of the betting market’s second choice, Minnie Hauk, set a strong pace under Ronan Whelan, and the pair found themselves about 20 lengths ahead as they headed for the home bend.

The daughter of Dubawi found for Whelan in the straight and made the remainder of the field work to close the gap, before she was finally headed at the one-furlong pole.

As Kalpana and Keane took the lead at that stage, Jim Bolger’s Sparán Nua (25/1), with Rossa Ryan in the saddle, went second, while Minnie Hauk and Ryan Moore were third.

The favourite soon began to drift as she battled for the line, with Sparán Nua, in the Newton Anner Stud colours, staying on strongly to challenge the eventual winner, as Minnie Hauk didn’t have the pace to live with either of the main protagonists.

As they hit the finishing line, Kalpana had an advantage of a half-length over Sparán Nua, while the Aidan O’Brien-trained Minnie Hauk was two-and-a-half lengths behind the runner-up.

Earth Shot (20/1), Tattycoram (25/1) and Johanna Walsh, who had all been prominent in the earlier stages of the race, faded to finish fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

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