The Gladness Stakes is a Listed flat horse race in Ireland open to horses aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) at the Curragh in March or April.
History The event is named after Gladness, a successful Irish-trained racehorse in the 1950s. It was established in 1963, and was initially contested over 1 mile and 2 furlongs. It was shortened to a mile in 1964, and cut to its present length in 1970.
The Gladness Stakes originally held Listed status. It used to be open to horses aged three or older. It was promoted to Group 3 level in 1987, and closed to three-year-olds in 2004. It was re-opened to three-year-olds from 2014. The race was downgraded to Listed status again from the 2024 running.
Records Most successful horse (2 wins): Mustameet – 2005, 2007 Lancaster House – 2020, 2021 Big Gossey - 2025, 2026
Leading jockey (4 wins): George McGrath – Signa Infesta (1968), Rocked (1969), Pardner (1972), Rare April (1977)
Leading trainer (8 wins): Vincent O'Brien – Nijinsky (1970), Minsky (1971), Dapper (1973), Apalachee (1974), Night Alert (1980), Lomond (1983), El Gran Senor (1984), Great Lakes (1990)
Winners since 1981 Year Winner Age Jockey Trainer Time 1981 Prince Echo 3 Stephen Craine Liam Browne 1982 Kilian 4 Raymond Carroll David O'Brien 1983 Lomond 3 Pat Eddery Vincent O'Brien 1984 El Gran Senor 3 Pat Eddery Vincent O'Brien 1985 Caparison 5 Donal Manning Mick O'Toole 1986 Lidhame 4 Gabriel Curran Kevin Prendergast 1:30.10 1987 Grey Goddess 4 Stephen Craine Edward O'Grady 1:34.20 1988 Careafolie 3 Michael Kinane Dermot Weld 1:31.00 1989 Rose Reef 5 Ron Quinton John Oxx 1:36.90 1990 Great Lakes 4 John Reid Vincent O'Brien 1:25.10 1991 Mr Brooks 4 Pat Shanahan Kevin Connolly 1:31.10 1992 Bezelle 3 Pat Shanahan Con Collins 1:32.60 1993 no race 1994 Ridgewood Ben 3 Michael Kinane John Oxx 1:36.30 1995 Bin Ajwaad 5 Pat Eddery Ben Hanbury 1:28.90 1996 Idris 6 Kevin Manning Jim Bolger 1:28.70 1997 Cool Edge 6 Nigel Day Mark Tompkins 1:25.80 1998 Muchea 4 Richard Hughes Mick Channon 1:37.20 1999 Two-Twenty-Two 4 Pat Smullen Dermot Weld 1:28.80 2000 Giant's Causeway 3 Michael Kinane Aidan O'Brien 1:30.10 2001 Softly Tread 3 Pat Shanahan Con Collins 1:38.30 2002 Rebelline 4 Declan McDonogh Kevin Prendergast 1:31.70 2003 Millennium Force 5 Chris Catlin Mick Channon 1:24.00 2004 Monsieur Bond 4 Fergal Lynch Bryan Smart 1:28.50 2005 Mustameet 4 Declan McDonogh Kevin Prendergast 1:32.50 2006 Common World 7 Fran Berry Tom Hogan 1:35.90 2007 Mustameet 6 Declan McDonogh Kevin Prendergast 1:24.20 2008 Jumbajukiba 5 Fran Berry Jessica Harrington 1:36.61 2009 Mad About You 4 Pat Smullen Dermot Weld 1:27.59 2010 Kargali 5 Johnny Murtagh Luke Comer 1:33.03 2011 Lolly for Dolly 4 Wayne Lordan Tommy Stack 1:30.95 2012 Excelebration 4 Joseph O'Brien Aidan O'Brien 1:31.37 2013 Custom Cut 4 Ronan Whelan George Kent 1:32.92 2014 Sruthan 4 Chris Hayes Paul Deegan 1:28.40 2015 Flight Risk 4 Kevin Manning Jim Bolger 1:29.46 2016 Onenightidreamed 5 Wayne Lordan Tommy Stack 1:37.50 2017 Diamond Fields 4 Chris Hayes Fozzy Stack 1:30.05 2018 Psychedelic Funk 4 Colin Keane Ger Lyons 1:34.97 2019 Imaging 4 Oisin Orr Dermot Weld 1:28.25 2020 Lancaster House 4 Seamie Heffernan Aidan O'Brien 1:24.11 2021 Lancaster House 5 Ryan Moore Aidan O'Brien 1:25.36 2022 Markaz Paname 3 Colin Keane Ger Lyons 1:29.11 2023 Goldana 4 Dylan Browne McMonagle Joseph O'Brien 1:34.17 2024 Yosemite Valley 4 Gavin Ryan Donnacha O'Brien 1:31.65 2025 Big Gossey 8 Billy Lee Charles O'Brien 1:31.62 2026 Big Gossey 9 Billy Lee Charles O'Brien 1:33.71
Earlier winners
1963: Christmas Island 1964: Khalkis 1965: Western Wind 1966: Not So Cold 1967: Sparrow Hawk 1968: Signa Infesta 1969: Rocked 1970: Nijinsky 1971: Minsky 1972: Pardner 1973: Dapper 1974: Apalachee 1975: It's Freezing 1976: Sovereign Dice 1977: Rare April 1978: Icelandic 1979: Secret of Success 1980: Night Alert
See also Horse racing in Ireland List of Irish flat horse races
References
Racing Post: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
galopp-sieger.de – Gladness Stakes. ifhaonline.org – International Federation of Horseracing Authorities – Gladness Stakes (2019). irishracinggreats.com – Gladness Stakes (Group 3). pedigreequery.com – Gladness Stakes – Curragh.