7 horses used at the Leopardstown Christmas Festival (26-29 December 2025) have been confirmed DEAD.

Among the dead are two horses used on Day 1:

5-year-old Wilde Words was pulled up lame in a race
6-year-old Nurburgring suffered a fall and was fatally injured

Three horses used in races the following day are also now known to be dead:

8-year-old Backtonormal and 6-year-old French horse Nara who both suffered falls in the “Paddy Power Chase”
9-year-old James’s Gate who suffered a fall and was fatally injured

Two horses used on Day 3 of the festival (28 December 2025) are also now known to be dead:
 
9-year-old French horse Heliko Conti who weakened and finished ninth in a race
7-year-old His Nibs who weakened and finished ninth in the “Mercedes Benz South Dublin Handicap Hurdle” race  

Four other horses were found to be bleeding after races during the 4-day event.

Good Time Tommy “was seen to have blood at both nostrils post race”
Daisy Fingall “burst a blood vessel”
Koktail Brut had “blood at both nostrils post race” and “may have burst a blood vessel”
St Denis’s Well also had blood at both nostrils after a race

Another horse, Lambay Island, was “blowing hard post race” and “Soldier In Milan” was “clinically abnormal post race”.

The deaths come just one month after 118 TDs (mainly from Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Sinn Fein and Independent Ireland) voted in favour of another €79,280,000 in funding to Horse Racing Ireland, bringing the total granted since 2001 to over €1.5 BILLION (€1,547,464,981).

It emerged following the Leopardstown Christmas Festival that jockeys were sanctioned for excessive use of whips.

Harry Sexton, rider of Kinturk Kalanisi (who finished third in the Paddy Power Chase race), “accepted that he was in breach of the whip regulation”. Raceday Stewards found that Sexton was in breach of Regulation 10.3.g (excessive frequency) and having considered his record in this regard (third offence) the Raceday Stewards suspended him for eight racedays.

DG Hogan, rider of Frankie John (who finished first in the race) “accepted that he had used his whip well above what was allowed by the regulation but added that he has just recently renewed his licence having not ridden for two years and he apologised for his actions”. Raceday Stewards found that DG Hogan was in breach of Regulation 10.3.g (excessive frequency) and Regulation 10.3.i (time to respond) and having considered his record in this regard (second offence for excessive frequency / first offence for time to respond) they suspended DG Hogan for eight racedays for excessive frequency and a further two racedays for time to respond.

Michael Kenneally, rider of Well Del (who finished third in the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Chase) was interviewed “concerning his use of the whip in the closing stages of this race” and he “accepted he was in breach of the regulation”. Raceday Stewards found that he was in breach of Regulation 10.3.g (excessive frequency) and having considered his record in this regard (second offence) the Raceday Stewards suspended him for four racedays.

Wilde Words, Nurburgring, Backtonormal, Nara, James’s Gate, Heliko Conti and His Nibs are among the latest in an ever-growing list of horse racing victims.

2025 Fatalities on Irish racecourses or within 48 hours of a race are categorized as follows: 

103 caused by Catastrophic Musculoskeletal Injury and 4 caused by Exercise associated sudden death

More than 1,279 horses have been killed at racecourses in Ireland since 2012, including 108 in 2024. There were 107 additional deaths in 2025 at racecourses or within 48 hours of a race.

Horse Racing Ireland has in the past revealed the method of killing to be either lethal injection or a bullet in the head.

The death figures do not include the horses injured at racecourses, taken away and later killed elsewhere or the horses killed behind the scenes because they are not fast enough to win races.

Many more race horses are also killed in slaughterhouses. Between 2016 and 2023, 15,658 thoroughbreds were slaughtered at “Department-approved slaughter facilities” in Ireland.

In 2024, 919 horses were slaughtered in Ireland (including 647 thoroughbred racehorses), 782 Irish horses were slaughtered in the UK (including 538 thoroughbred racehorses) and 256 Irish horses were exported to France and slaughtered.

Horrific cruelty to race horses before slaughter was exposed in the “RTE Investigates: Horses – Making a Killing” documentary which can be viewed at https://youtu.be/ymm0xh3gp7o

ACTION ALERT

Don’t bet on horse racing or attend horse racing events.

Since 2001, the Irish Government has granted over €1.5 BILLION of scarce public funds to horse racing.

Contact the Taoiseach and Tanaiste / Finance Minister and demand an end to state funding to this gambling activity which causes so much suffering and death. Tell them to redirect the funds to the many deserving charities, health/homeless/environmental groups, sports clubs, animal rescue centres, etc crying out for funding.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Tel: 01 619 4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD

Tanaiste and Finance Minister Simon Harris TD
Telephone: 01 281 3727
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris

Please sign and share the petition

Irish Government: Stop giving millions of euros to horse racing
https://www.change.org/p/irish-government-stop-giving-millions-of-euros-to-horse-racing

Join us in urging companies to stop sponsoring horse racing.

Guinness Ireland
Email: customer.service@diageo.com; Consumerinfo.ireland@diageo.com

Albert Bartlett
Email: info@albertbartlett.com
Tel: +44 (0)1236 762831

The Connacht Hotel
Email: marketing@theconnacht.ie
Tel: +353 91 381200

SuperValu Ireland
Email: group@musgrave.ie
Tel +353 (0) 21 4522100

The SuperValu Ireland Ladies Day meeting took place at Roscommon Racecourse on 8th July 2024. Organisers thanked Supervalu for “making this event possible”. On the day, 5-year-old horse Morning Soldier was pulled up in the “SuperValu Co. Roscommon Ladies Day Novice Hurdle” race and was later confirmed dead.

EMS Copiers
Email: info@emscopiers.ie; sales@emscopiers.ie
Tel: 01 6205501.

Colm Quinn BMW
Email: sales@colmquinnbmw.ie
Tel: 090 646 5888

X: https://twitter.com/ColmQuinn_bmw
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Colm-Quinn-BMW/117749908310381

Bulmers Irish Cider (also known as Magners Original Irish Cider)
Email: info@bulmers.ie; company.secretary@candcgroup.ie
https://www.facebook.com/bulmersoriginalirishcider

Tweets by BulmersIreland
In 2022, Bulmers was announced as “the Official Entertainment Partner of Horse Racing Ireland’s Racecourses”, with a Bulmers spokesperson stating: “We are delighted to be expanding and re-energising our long-standing relationship with Horse Racing Ireland and are looking forward to the next three years working to grow the spectator experience at horse racing”

Westmeath County Council/Belvedere House and Gardens
Sponsors racing at Kilbeggan Racecourse
Email: chiefexecutive@Westmeathcoco.ie; info@belvedere-house.ie
https://x.com/westmeathcoco
https://x.com/BelvedereHouse

Kilmurray’s Homevalue Hardware
Mullingar Business Park
Tel: 044 934 2955
Email: info@kilmurrayprecast.ie
Kilmurray’s Homevalue Hardware sponsored the €100,000 “Kilmurray’s Homevalue Hardware Mullingar Midlands National Handicap Chase” race at Kilbeggan Racecourse on 12 July 2024.

Brennan’s Pharmacy
Sponsored a race at Tramore racecourse (17 August 2024) after which horse Mt Leinster had “blood at both nostrils”
Email: info@brennanspharmacy.com

Irish Government grants to horse racing

2001 €47,110,330
2002 €54,452,651
2003 €51,348,800
2004 €53,531,200
2005 €54,680,000
2006 €56,047,000
2007 €58,539,000
2008 €61,028,800
2009 €54,502,000
2010 €47,411,200
2011 €45,830,000
2012 €45,032,000
2013 €44,016,000
2014 €43,376,000
2015 €54,400,000
2016 €59,200,000
2017 €64,000,000
2018 €64,000,000
2019 €67,200,000
2020 €67,200,000
2021 €76,800,000
2022 €70,400,000
2023 €72,800,000
2024 €76,000,000
2025 €79,280,000

TOTAL: €1,468,184,981 (€1.46 Billion)

Source: Department of Agriculture

Thoroughbred horses slaughtered in Ireland

2023: 1,428
2022: 1,050
2021: 1,105
2020: 1,549
2019: 2,218
2018: 2,526
2017: 2,829
2016: 2,952

SEE ALSO

More horses confirmed dead following races at Irish racecourses
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2021/08/19/horses-confirmed-dead-following-races-at-irish-racecourses/

Why you should say NO to horse racing – download and distribute the leaflet
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2023/08/05/new-leaflet-why-you-should-say-no-to-horse-racing

Watch “RTE Investigates: Horses – Making a Killing”
https://youtu.be/ymm0xh3gp7o

Watch the BBC Panorama documentary “The Dark Side of Horse Racing”
https://youtu.be/F1TZnZgV8L4

Please support our campaign with a donation
https://www.paypal.me/banbloodsports
http://revolut.me/icabs