The Irish Field podcasts

After seeing his star novice hurdler Heads Up bounce back with a listed victory at Punchestown on Sunday, Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer John McConnell joins The Racing Edge podcast this week to discuss his Cotswolds contender and a host of other topics.

Joined by Mark Boylan and Anne Marie Duff from The Irish Field, the panel weigh up whether Jonbon can make it Grade 1 win number 13 in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, as well as counting down to Constitution Hill’s much-talked-out flat debut at Southwell on Friday. Each of the team nominate an Aintree horse to keep an eye on, ahead of this week’s Randox Grand National weights reveal.

With a lack of betting pattern monitoring services were highlighted in the aftermath of the recent Redwood Queen case involving Philip and Charles Byrnes, John and Mark look at the current state of play regarding the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s bet-tracking operations, as highlighted in The Irish Field this week by columnist Tony Keenan.

Mark and Anne Marie were on The Jockey Club’s Cheltenham press tour around Ireland last week and report some nuggets from their mornings with Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott. All three discuss whether Britain can put it up to Ireland in the Prestbury Cup this year, following no outright win for the host team in the competition since 2015.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gowran Park manager Eddie Scally joins Mark Costello, Anne Marie Duff and Amy Lynam to discuss the racing week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a breathtaking bank holiday weekend of racing, The Racing Edge team are back to review the 2026 Dublin Racing Festival.

Mark Walsh took the meeting by storm and his Grade 1 four-timer is analysed by Mark Boylan, Mark Costello and Anne Marie Duff, who are joined this week by special guest Finny Maguire. Widely regarded as one of the top amateur jockeys in Ireland and Britain, Maguire was among the winners at the DRF when partnering Moonverrin to a dramatic win in the Grade 2 Coolmore N.H. Sires Los Angeles Irish EBF Mares Bumper, before jetting across to Kempton on Monday for an impressive bumper winner, trained by Harry Derham.

Is Fact To File the answer to the 2026 Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup? Where does Galopin Des Champs stand now after his Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup third? Do the panel hold out hope that Marine Nationale can reverse DRF form with Majborough next month? And what are the knock-on implications of Brighterdaysahead and Lossiemouth’s engaging rematch? All the key questions are discussed in this whistle-stop tour through the main action from one of the biggest weekends in the Irish racing calendar.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At a live preview, sponsored by the Tote, Mark Boylan gets the views of David Casey, Rory Delargy, Jamie Codd and Amy Lynam ahead of the two-day Leopardstown meeting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s nearly here! Ahead of this weekend’s blockbuster Dublin Racing Festival, The Racing Edge team preview Leopardstown’s Grade 1 action and are joined by trainer Patrick Harty, whose Irish Panther is one of the leading contenders for the Goffs Irish Arkle.

Trained in partnership with his father Eddie, the 19,000gns bargain buy gave Romeo Coolio an almighty scare at Leopardstown last month and looks one of Ireland’s top novice chasers in training this season.

After what was a successful weekend for Irish connections in Britain, the panel also look back on the main races from Cheltenham and Doncaster. Could Jimmy Mangan have a genuine Cheltenham Gold Cup contender on his hands in Spillane’s Tower? Can either of Paul Nolan’s Doncaster winners make a splash at the Festival in March? And what now for the Champion Hurdle division after a most unfortunate injury to Sir Gino?

Cheltenham’s dramatic delay to racing due to a hole in the track is discussed, as well as Horse Racing Ireland’s fresh plans to increase Irish prize money levels over the next three years.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.