HRI To Fund Improvements

Leopardstown Racecourse | Racing Post

A number of Irish racecourses will receive improvements in areas including drainage, track widening and leveling, canter downs and watering systems after the board of Horse Racing Ireland approved the creation of the €1.7 million Racetrack Improvements Scheme. The program will be financed through the HRI Racecourse Capital Development program. HRI will provide each racecourse a grant aid of 40%, up to €120,000. The projects must already be submitted under the Capital Development program, and must be completed by the end of 2017.

The principal projects will be leveling of the sprint track at Cork; drainage work at Limerick, Leopardstown, Fairyhouse, Tipperary, Clonmel, Killarney and Navan; watering improvements at Naas and Gowran Park; new canter paths at Leopardstown, Fairyhouse, Killarney and Navan; and track widening at Fairyhouse.

Jason Morris, HRI's Director of Racing, said, “HRI is delighted to be announcing this new Racetrack Improvements Scheme as part of its ongoing significant financial commitment towards improving facilities at all Irish racecourses, for which €45 million has already been allocated for the 2015-2019 period. The individual projects are all designed to ensure that the racing surface is maintained to the best possible level going forward, be it through additional drainage works, track leveling and widening, enhanced canter downs to reduce wear and tear on the tracks, or new and upgraded watering systems. In particular, many of the projects reflect the difficulties that racetracks are facing in coping with the increased rainfall levels and the works to be undertaken should give racecourses the best possible chance of racing during future periods of extreme wet weather.”

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