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Retired racehorse Thousand Stars will be at Leopardstown for both days of Dublin Racing Festival with Treo Eile for racegoers to meet. 

The popular grey had a spectacular career before retiring in 2016 aged 12 due to injury. 

His career first started in France on the Flat for trainer Philippe Dermercastel before moving to Ireland in 2007.  

It was under champion trainer Willie Mullins where Thousand Stars started to shine after joining his yard in 2009. 

The star hurdler won 13 races, amassing almost €1.4 million in prize money from wins at Cheltenham, Fairyhouse and Punchestown. 

His retirement has been spent with former jockey Katie Walsh, who won three times with Thousand Stars including the County Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2010. 

Walsh said: “He was just a model of consistency. 

“Maybe a little bit unlucky for him, he was knocking around the same time as Hurricane Fly. 

“But he was a very good horse in his own right and he really did have a fantastic career as a racehorse.” 

Thousand Stars is part of a retired racehorse activation programme, but Walsh will also be using the grey for post-race interviews with RTE Racing. 

“He’s taken to that like a duck to water,” she added. 

“He’s like having another professional, he’s such an easy horse to do anything with.” 

Thousand Stars is now aged 20 but has all the energy of a young horse still and often leads the other horses around the yard. 

She said: “You wouldn’t think he’s that age. 

“He’s got such a kind heart to humans and to other people around the yard with kids around. 

“He loves attention and there’s no mean to him. He’s just a pleasure to have around the place.” 

Dublin Racing Festival will not only host some spectacular races this weekend, but there will also be music, live panels featuring Ruby Walsh and Fran Berry and of course your chance to meet Thousand Stars where you can pet him over the barrier and get a picture with him. 

She added: “I can trust him around anyone and that’s just his nature. 

“Horses are like humans - you could have a good athlete who is not a very nice person. 

“He just was a good racehorse and he’s just a very nice horse as well. 

“That’s just his personality and the way he is. 

“He captures the imagination of people because of the way he looks and then to be such a good racehorse as well, a lot of racing people will have a lot of respect for him as a racehorse so he kind of has it all.” 

On top of homing Thousand Stars, Walsh has also cared for Chacun Pour Soi in his retirement, and he often accompanies her in the Summer for the RTE Racing interviews as well. 

Chacun Pour Soi is a three-time winner of the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at Dublin Racing Festival.