You won’t need to have kissed the Blarney Stone to enjoy your racing the Irish way when a touch of the Emerald Isle returns to North Yorkshire this Saturday (May 20) for Thirsk’s annual Irish Day.

Enjoy all the craic as the fun and excitement for which the Irish are famous will feature on a day that always figures as one of the best in the Thirsk calendar.

On the track, the feature race is the Constant Security-backed sprint handicap over five furlongs for four-year-olds and upwards, a contest which local trainer Kevin Ryan has targeted with some success since its introduction in 2014.

Ryan won the first two runnings of the race with Comino and Kelinni, but his outsider Fast Act could never get into contention 12 months ago and when the Julie Camacho-trained Judicial beat a strong field including this season’s All-Weather Sprint champion Kimberella.

There is a strong supporting card featuring the Wharton Construction won in 2016 by Ruth Carr’s Explain and the Marion Gibson Brown Handicap, which was divided last year and produced two cracking races with tight finishes.

The Irish theme continues off the track with live music in the Paddock Enclosure where the Irish band Murphy’s Marbles make a welcome return to the course after their brilliant sets last year kept racegoers’ feet tapping.

For the youngsters there is plenty of entertainment too, with bouncy castles and a children’s play area in the family enclosure, while there will be a chance to follow the action on the big screens in the Paddock Enclosure and trackside.

Entry to the Premier Enclosure costs £28, and it’s £16 to go in the Paddock on the day, but there are great discounts for pre-booking and for groups, while, as always at Thirsk, admission for children under the age of 18 is free, as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult. Car parking is also free.

Racing is scheduled to start with the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Fillies Stakes at 2.10pm and the gates will open at 11am.