By Daithi Harvey
The news that Naas was awarded Racecourse of the Year last weekend by the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners in conjunction with The Irish Field is a sure sign that Irish owners are making their voices heard and showing their appreciation for a track that has very much put owners to the fore in terms of hospitality and making them feel like their investment in Irish racing is not being taken for granted. The man behind much of the progress and investment made in Naas over the last decade plus is Dermot Cantillon, who somehow finds time to be chairman of the track alongside his multitude of other industry activities that include his own extensive breeding enterprise at Tinnakill House, as well as a seat on the board of Goffs and managing the Smurfit family's Forenaghts Stud. “The individual membership of the AIRO voted for this award so it's a very positive endorsement for the investment we have made in recent times,” Cantillon said. “The Circle Lounge and viewing area which we developed two years ago for owners and trainers is a great facility. I think it's a five-star area in terms of the panoramic view that it offers and the food and hospitality that we provide, it's been a wonderful addition to the track,” he added.
Naas has long been recognized as one of the more forward- thinking tracks in Ireland and has been developing its facilities to such an extent that they have now come full circle, in that one of the first structures to be renovated back in the late 90s, the main grandstand, has been the most recent area to have benefitted from an upgrade. “Naas embarked on a programme of development just over 20 years ago and since the main stand was opened by then Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy, every building in Naas has been either replaced or enhanced. Recently we've spent a lot of money upgrading the audio visual experience in the betting hall on the ground floor of the main grandstand. We invested in a large number of TV screens and put in extra armchairs and other seating to make it a very comfortable area,” Cantillon explained.
Having a horseman at the helm of Naas Racecourse has helped ensure that the equine participants have also had their needs amply catered for and in line with the team's overall ambition to increase the quality of the racing product on offer, extensive work has been carried out on the racing surface. “I always look upon a racecourse as being similar to a theatre and unless you have the stage or the track itself in good shape, the whole thing won't function properly,” Cantillon said. “The last major job we did was installing a watering system that cost €250,000 to ensure fair racing ground throughout the summer.” Previous to that a major levelling of the home straight to remove some troublesome ridges was undertaken, work that has been given the thumbs up by jockeys and trainers. However, this year an issue arose when it became apparent that horses drawn low (furthest from the stands) on the straight track had a significant advantage over those drawn high.
“There was a draw bias and that is something we are looking at,” Cantillon said. “It seemed to become less of an issue as the season progressed. However, that's not good enough and we shouldn't have a bias, but we have identified a few factors that contributed to it and we will work on rectifying it.”
Naas is already home to a Grade 1 Hurdle, sponsored by Lawlor's of Naas and won last year by the exciting chasing prospect Battleoverdoyen (Ire) (Doyen {Ire}) and one of the main ambitions of the Naas team is to one day stage a Group 1 flat race. Group 1 racing in Ireland is confined to just two tracks and there is plenty of merit in Cantillon's argument that more racecourses should get the opportunity to host top-level events, and he said he believes Naas has proved that it is in pole position to be one such candidate.
“I think there can be a parochial attitude in Irish racing in that people are more interested in holding onto what they have rather than looking at the bigger picture of what is best for Irish racing as a collective,” he said. “I'm also a believer in Einstein's definition of insanity of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. So when I look at the spread of Group 1 races in Ireland I see 11 at The Curragh and two at Leopardstown. I think it would make sense to re-allocate one of the Curragh Group 1 races to Naas as having another Group 1 track would enhance the overall experience of racing. We took on several of The Curragh's fixtures when they were renovating and we proved we were well capable of hosting top- class horses. ”
There are two ways of going about establishing a Group 1 race. One method takes a lot of time and involves developing and promoting a lower tier race over a number of years to attract better horses each year thus increasing the average rating of those horses taking part to such an extent that it eventually qualifies for Group 1 status. Another way is to target a specific fixture in the Irish racing calendar and to formulate a business case to Horse Racing Ireland over the merits of switching said fixture from one track to another. That is Cantillon's favoured modus operandi at present and he has earmarked a race that he believes would be an ideal fit.
“The race we have identified is the G1 Phoenix S., the six-furlong sprint for 2-year-olds sponsored by Keeneland,” he said. “That fixture is not a traditional Curragh meeting, it originated in the Phoenix Park and was then transferred to Leopardstown when The Park was closed down. Then when Leopardstown lost their sprint track to the M50 the race was switched to The Curragh. By moving this prestigious race to Naas it would benefit the overall Irish racing product. In the longer term then I think we can also work on enhancing one of our existing group races to try and ultimately get it to Group 1 level.”
Another positive feature of the Naas model is their engagement with sponsors both from within the industry and from the local business community. “We see Naas as a track for all stakeholders and we are very encouraged by the support we get from the racing and bloodstock industry,” Cantillon said. “From the racegoers to the trainers and the breeders, whose horses race here and often get sold as a result of the high esteem the track is held in around the world. We have support from some top-class stud farms such as Tally-Ho Stud, Coolmore, Yeomanstown Stud and Owenstown Stud and next year we're delighted to have the new Ballyhane Stud median sires race final in August. It's a €200,000 race and it's a brilliant initiative that has encouraged a lot of people to buy yearlings this year.”
A current bug bear of Cantillon's is the current situation regarding Racing TV's coverage of Irish Racing, which often lacks an on-course presenter. This came to light at the meeting on Oct. 20 when the Naas card included two listed races and prizemoney of €330,000.
“I was disappointed for the sponsors on the day that were keen to speak about their involvement and to promote their business but there was no Racing TV presenter on duty for them to do so,” Cantillon said. “I'd like to see a plan and to see what the criteria is for having a presenter on course. I think we need to be auditing Racing TV more and tracks should have more of an input.”
Naas said farewell to its manager of 13 years, Tom Ryan, earlier this year when he departed for the Middle East to take up the position of director of strategy and international racing at the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia. Ironically, it was a man who had worked for a number of years in Saudi who recently took up the mantle of Naas manager.
“Eamonn McEvoy joined us during the summer and has settled in well,” Cantillon said. “We have been blessed with some very committed people, going back to Margaret McGuinness. Then Tom Ryan came along 13 years ago and was very ambitious and enthusiastic. He did a top-class job and the facility he left behind was a great reflection on his time here. Tom moved on to a prestigious international job and we wish him the best with that. Eamonn is a very experienced guy having held different roles from managing stud farms to developing a racetrack in Saudi Arabia, and he brings a lot of skills to the role. He is a great people person and we are delighted with how the transition is going.”
With the onset of media rights income some racecourses have been accused of becoming complacent as the current guaranteed revenue negates the pressures involved with getting bums on seats. However, the powers that be at Naas show no signs of resting on their laurels, as Cantillon summed up, “The motto at Naas is 'never finished' and we are always looking at new ways to enhance the experience for both racegoers and horses.”
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