Irish EBF Announce New Smullen Series and Record Sponsorship of €3.1m

From left: Jessica Harrington, Frances Crowley, Suzanne Eade and Joe Foley at Tuesday's launch

The combined spend from Irish stallion farms to the industry is an enormous €3.25 million, that is €3.1 million directly to Irish prize-money plus €100,000 to Irish EBF-named races in the UK and €50,000 to prize-money at Treo Eile supported events for retired racehorses.

Joe Foley Irish EBF Chairman

The Irish European Breeders’ Fund, Irish racing’s largest sponsor, who are funded by Irish Stallion Farms, have announced a raft of new initiatives along with another record high sponsorship of €3.1 million for 2025. Supplementary to this significant spend there are prize money commitments of €150,000 to Irish EBF named races in the UK and for retired racehorses through TREO EILE, bringing the overall 2025 prize money sponsorship amount to €3.25 million. Since the foundation of the Irish European Breeders’ Fund in 1983, the overall contribution is over €63 million. All Irish EBF money is put directly into Irish Racing and encompasses nearly 500 races, both Flat and National Hunt, that will carry EBF conditions throughout the year.

The considerable spend of €3.1 million has enabled the creation of the new Smullen Series of eighteen middle distance races for two and three years olds including a new two-year-old Listed race at Naas Racecourse in July named in honour of Pat Smullen, the Irish EBF Pat Smullen Stakes. The Spring Series of races originally designed for middle distance three-year-old horses, including the valuable €200,000 Gowran Classic will become part of the overall Smullen Series that will provide trainers, owners and breeders of middle-distance horses valuable opportunities to race throughout the season.

To boost prize money and interest in nursery races there will be three Irish EBF nursery handicaps each worth €40,000 starting with one in August, followed by the Auction Series Nursery at Cork Racecourse in September and culminating with the traditional Birdcatcher Premier Nursery at Naas Racecourse in October. The aim is to encourage horses eligible for these races to compete in one or all three of the nurseries to avail of the €120,000 of prize money on offer.

The Irish EBF can now confirm that all Curragh and Leopardstown two-year-old EBF maiden races will each run for a minimum of €20,000 in 2025. All other two-year-old Irish EBF maidens races in Ireland will be run for a minimum of €18,000. This compliments the €1.6 million of prize money on offer for two-year-olds in the successful Auction Series and the Median Sires Series which both include big race targets in the €120,000 Irish EBF Auction Series Final and the €200,000 Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes.

As previously announced the Irish EBF will be the flagship sponsor of the new Academy Hurdle Series which will commence October 2025. This sponsorship reinforces the support the Irish European Breeders’ Fund have consistently given to Irish National Hunt racing, breeding and sales with the following highlights. 50% of the National Hunt allocation targeted at mares’ chases, hurdle and bumper races, Connolly’s Red Mills Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series worth nearly €400,000 with 16 qualifying races and a €75,000 final at the Punchestown Festival which is backed up by the Irish EBF Auction Bumper Series with six races worth €15,000 each over the season.