About

Meet Your Host

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Rob Relihan, founder of Racing Tours Ireland, has had over 30 fun-filled years of horse racing in Ireland. His first trip to the track was as a 7 year-old when he was brought to see the great Shergar win the Irish Derby at The Curragh racecourse. A year later, at the Galway Races, he was hooked after backing his 1st winner, Pinch Hitter in the Galway Hurdle to win the tidy sum of £1.50. Not only a renowned punter, Rob has also worked in various roles within the industry, from his school days as stable-lad with world-famous trainer John Oxx on the Curragh, to auditing many of Ireland’s top stud farms with financial services company, Deloitte. Rob has been fortunate enough to experience the thrill of racehorse ownership, and counts Trainers, Breeders, Bookies and Racecourse Stewards amongst his closest friends.

Rob’s rich experiences of horse racing over the years have led to a keen insight into the industry. He has witnessed many of the great days in recent Irish horse racing, both in Ireland and abroad. Through the friends and characters he has met, he has lovingly absorbed the tales of the legends of the past. A few hours in Rob’s company listening to the tales of the turf is guaranteed to entertain and inform.

Everyone, Irish people and visitors to Ireland alike, should experience and enjoy this fundamental fabric of Irish society. That is why Rob has started Racing Tours Ireland. His goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to enjoy the craic at the track, as well as providing unique behind the scenes access to the equine heroes at some of the top racing yards in the country – if you admire the beauty of the horse, it is indeed a treat to see them at home.

Rob’s goal with Racing Tours Ireland is to make your day as enjoyable, fun-filled, informative, and profitable as possible!

As he tried his best to portray in this recent interview on the world's biggest sports radio station, talkSPORT:

Typical Day Out

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Going it alone isn’t nearly as much fun as with a group
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Racing Tours Ireland will provide you with all the thrills and spills of a day at the races, with the added comfort of luxury transport, your own reserved table, and a hearty meal to keep you going. You’ll also get up close and personal with the horses prior to going racing. All in all, we can provide the best horse racing experience you can get in Ireland!

A typical day out with Racing Tours Ireland involves:

 
  • Luxury coach travel from Dublin
  • On-board information videos to prepare you for the day ahead
  • Insights and legendary racing stories from your tour guide
  • Visit to a racing yard or stud farm to get a “behind-the-scenes” understanding of The Sport Of Kings
  • Entrance, reserved table and meal at that day’s race meeting
  • Explore all that Ireland’s racecourses have to offer......make new friends.......have a drink......have a bet......back a winner........have a celebratory drink!
  • Luxury coach back to Dublin after great craic at the track!!!
 

So what are you waiting for?!

Book your day out with Racing Tours Ireland

Ireland and Horse Racing

If you are planning a visit to Ireland, you cannot truly visit Ireland without experiencing the Irish horse and an Irish race meeting. The horse, and “the sport of kings”, is an integral part of Irish society and culture.

Horse Racing is many things in Ireland: a sport, an industry, a hobby, and a social outlet. The thoroughbred has always been close to our hearts in Ireland, and in every corner of the country the evidence presents itself. It is why we are a powerhouse in terms of breeding and training equine and human champions. The best horses in the world are Irish; so too are the breeders, trainers and jockeys.

With 26 racecourses in the country, there is no shortage of opportunity for you to experience the thrills and spills of racing. After all, that represents more tracks per head of population than anywhere else in the world. The diversity of experience at these courses is part of the uniqueness of racing in Ireland. Each one has its own quirks and landmarks, and, with the renowned beauty of the Irish landscape, has the added benefit of a breathtaking setting.

It is difficult not to catch the bug once you attend a racing meeting. The smell, the sights and the sounds that are exclusive to this roadshow have a habit of drawing people in.

It is easy to forget that when a horse lines up at a starting tape or enters the stalls for a race, so much time, work, and preparation by many people has been involved in getting it there. From the day of a foal’s birth and those first faltering, unsure steps, so much takes place to keep it healthy, educate it and have it ready for the sales, even before the actual training for racing begins. Everyone is living the dream – will this be a superstar? Will it win one race? Will it even get to the track?

Well you can certainly make it to the track with Racing Tours Ireland!

Let us take you on a comprehensive and thoroughly enjoyable horse racing experience, from a behind-the-scenes and face-to-face visit to a thriving and successful training or breeding establishment, and then on to an exciting and enjoyable (and hopefully profitable!) day at an Irish race meeting.

Find an upcoming date that suits your travel plans, and let yourself go with Racing Tours Ireland!