Paul Townend Stars at Treo Eile Christmas Show

[Wandering Eyes]

The annual Treo Eile Christmas Show was held at the Emerald Equestrian Centre near Enfield on Thursday, with Team Randox, captained by multiple champion jockey Paul Townend, lifting the Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) perpetual trophy as the winners of this year's Treo Eile Thoroughbred Classic Cup.

The feature class on the night, the HRI Treo Eile Thoroughbred Classic is designed to showcase the very best of Ireland's retrained racehorses. Teams of four took part in a timed competition, followed by a jump-off to decide the winners. The tense conclusion saw Team Randox narrowly defeat Gavin Cromwell Racing, captained by Gold Cup-winning jockey Mark Walsh, with the former Flat jockey Kevin Manning leading Leopardstown Racecourse to a third-place finish.

Colin Keane, Jack Kennedy and Robbie Power were among the other star names to take part, along with equine heroes such as Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo, multiple Grade 1-winning hurdler Supasundae and Champion Bumper scorer Briar Hill.

Elsehwere, Olympian Sam Watson hosted the 'Connolly's RED MILLS Training your Thoroughbred' clinic. Watson was joined by Evita Thomsen and Grace Day, who both have had a successful year eventing their thoroughbreds.

Supporting the evening were industry leaders such as Godolphin, the Aga Khan, Coolmore, the IEBF and Foal Levy Fund. HRI were title sponsors, while Weatherbys Ireland GSB Ltd, the Aga Khan Studs and Horse Sport Ireland all sponsored individual classes earlier in the day.

John Osborne, director of Welfare at Horse Racing Ireland, said, “2025 has been another great year for Treo Eile. Andrea Ryan has joined the team and the wide industry support gives great confidence for the future. The growth of the thoroughbred classes across the summer months and the number of Irish participants is the obvious fruit of the work of Anne, Melanie and the wider Treo Eile community.

“The Christmas Show is now a calendar highlight and we thank everybody for their help in making it such a success in such a short period. The horses remain the focus and we have so many great stories to tell.”

Andrea Ryan, CEO of Treo Eile, added, “The Treo Eile Christmas Show is the perfect showcase of the talent, temperament and adaptability of the thoroughbred. It's wonderful to see the Treo Eile community grow from year to year, as a result of the efforts of Treo Eile supported initiatives. A huge thank you to our hugely dedicated show committee, all of our volunteers, riders, those who provide horses and to all our generous sponsors.”

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