The 16th Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby took place at the Curragh Racecourse, Co. Kildare (Ireland) today, (Sunday. 2nd of July). There was huge excitement at the track when Ryan Moore rode his first Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner and trainer Aidan O’Brien claimed a 100th European Classic as 4/11 favourite, Auguste Rodin struck at the Curragh.
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby is the feature event of the festival of high-octane racing, where the best horses, jockeys and trainers in the world take each other on for derby glory. The festival and day, which is sponsored by Dubai Duty Free, was a great success, filled with fantastic racing, fashion, and fun.
Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, Colm McLoughlin together with his wife Breeda and the Executive Team at Dubai Duty Free consisting of Salah Tahlak, Joint Chief Operating Officer, Sinead El Sibai, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Marketing Manager, Jasmin Micoyco hosted 165 guests for lunch on the day. Guests enjoyed a wonderful day of racing, fine food and fabulous fashion and entertainment in the spectacular Leger Suite which offers panoramic views across the Curragh plains and has a bird’s eye view of the winning post and parade ring. Speaking after the race, Colm McLoughlin said, “I would like to offer my huge congratulations to the winning connections and also to compliment The Curragh Racecourse on another hugely successful festival.”
The Dubai Duty Free Most Stylish Man and Lady Competition in association with The K Club was a hotly contested affair. Judges included Breeda McLoughlin, wife of Colm McLoughlin, Dubai Duty Free Lifestyle Ambassador and Irish Independent Fashion Editor, Bairbre Power, broadcaster Lottie Ryan and celebrity choreographer, Arthur Gourounlian who were the fashion judges on the day.
Anne Marie Corbett from Mitchelstown in Co. Cork was handpicked from the crowd as the day’s Most Stylish Lady for her stunning race day ensemble featuring a vivid red outfit from Phoenix V in Cork which was complete with a hat by Carol Kennelly and shoes from Premoli in Galway.
As well as her Most Stylish title, Anne Marie was over the moon with her fabulous array of prizes including return flights for two to Dubai with five glorious nights in Dubai Duty Free’s own five-star hotel, The Jumeirah Creekside, and €1,000 spending money at the award-winning airport retailer. Back on home soil, she and a guest will also be treated to a two-night stay in a luxurious suite at The K Club with breakfast each morning, dinner on one evening in The Barton restaurant, a blissful 50-minute treatment each in The K Spa.
For the Most Stylish man, Stuart O’Reilly from Naas in Co. Kildare was declared a cut above his competitors with his Remus Uomo suit. Stuart will enjoy a taste of the Kildare high life with a fantastic five-star K Club VIP experience and a €500 voucher to spend at nearby Kildare Village.
The full week of activities included activities both on and off the track including a golf classic at The K Club where 28 teams of four played the Palmer North Course and later enjoyed a barbeque and traditional music.
Also, over the weekend the Executive Team visited the Barretstown Children’s Foundation where they saw the great work the children’s charity does for seriously sick children and their families. Colm McLoughlin went on to say, “As part of our Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby activations we have supported several Irish and local charities over the years and have helped raise over €660,000 for local Irish children’s charities and for people in need in Ireland. Over €220,000 of this was pledged directly by Dubai Duty Free through its own Foundation. This year, Dubai Duty Free has supported the equine programme at The Barretstown Children’s Foundation which runs camps where seriously ill children can enjoy themselves and have fun. Over 1,000 ‘campers’ will now enjoy the equine programme that we have supported this year.”
The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Festival has grown beyond recognition since the award winning airport retailer took on the role of title sponsor in 2008. The centerpiece, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby has become one of the premier races in the global calendar. The company also sponsored five other races on Derby Day and had six of the eight races on the card.
Worldwide viewership of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby was significantly enhanced this year as the full day of racing is now part of the Tote World Pool for the first-time ever. Tote World Pool is an exciting initiative which was introduced in 2019 whereby global tote operators operate a single pool on several major international race meetings. It has been agreed with the Hong Kong Jockey Club that from next year Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Day will become a permanent fixture as a Tote World Pool event. Terrestrial TV coverage of the race also included live broadcasts by both RTE and ITV while digital and specialist racing platforms including Racing TV extensively featured the full weekend.
