4-549: 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 April. 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
8-533: 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. Most successful horse (2 wins): Leading jockey (4 wins): Leading trainer (8 wins): Conditions races Conditions races are horse races in which
12-533: The weights carried are laid down by an official handicapper to equalise the difference in ability between the runners. In Great Britain, for example, the British Horseracing Authority 's rules define a conditions race as being one "which is none of the following; a Handicap Race or a Novice Race, a race restricted to Maiden Horses, or a race governed by Selling or Claiming provisions." Conditions races are staged at all levels of horse racing. As all of
16-535: The weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving weight from older runners to allow for relative maturity, referred to as weight for age ; and the quality of the runners, with horses that have won certain values of races giving weight to less successful entrants. Conditions races are distinct from handicap races , for which
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