The Curragh Racecourse is Ireland's premier flat racing venue and the home of all five Irish Classic races, including the Irish Derby in late June and the Irish 2000 Guineas in May. Racing has taken place on this stretch of the plain since at least the seventeenth century, and the current grandstand — rebuilt in 2019 — is a striking piece of architecture that replaced the older Victorian structures. On a race day the atmosphere is electric, the fashion is serious, and the quality of horseflesh on show is matched nowhere else in the country.