IRISH Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM), with the backing of the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) and Irish EBF, staged another successful barrier trial fixture at Dundalk Stadium on Monday, July 8th.

Nine trials were run, with Ado McGuinness winning the first three, while Donnacha O’Brien took another two. The others were won by Joseph O’Brien, Henry de Bromhead, Cormac Farrell and Gordon Elliott.

Barrier trials are used by trainers as both a preparation for their racecourse careers and as a stage from which to sell promising prospects. One of Monday’s winners who seems to have a bright future was Donnacha O’Brien’s Falling Snow, who skipped clear of her rivals in the two-year-old fillies’ trial over seven furlongs. Grey like her multiple Group 1-winning dam Winter, the daughter of Justify is a full-sister to London City.

ITM’s Jeremy Greene created the initiative in 2020 to cater to international markets seeking unraced two and three-year-olds and was pleased with how the latest batch performed.

“I would like to thank Dundalk, who have hosted the trials every year since we started in 2018, as well as the trainers, owners and jockeys who took part,” he said

“Thanks also goes to the IHRB - particularly Jennifer Walsh, IRIS, the stalls handlers, medical and veterinary support staff, and farrier.

“It seems horses have already been sold off the back of Monday. We just put on the day and it looks after itself afterwards. Horses were also sold from the trials held at Naas at the end of May.

“The next and final barrier trials take place at Leopardstown on August 28th, which will be advertised on RAS approximately three weeks prior. The same terms apply, though we will have to start at an earlier time of 11/11.30am.”