August 28th 1999

Changes to racing fixtures list

By John O'Sullivan

The following are the most significant changes in the recently published racing fixture list for next season.

• A total of 275 racing days are scheduled for next year - an increase of three meetings compared to this year.
• As the new Limerick Racecourse at Patrickswell is unlikely to be racing on schedule, most of its dates have been reallocated.

Wexford obtained the St. Patrick's Day date; Cork receives the October meeting, featuring the Munster National and the Stephen's Day fixture, while the second day of the Christmas meeting goes to Clonmel. The remaining two days of this Christmas meeting at Limerick have not been reallocated.

• Navan - owned by the IHA, has been the biggest recipient, with three new dates.
• Other venues to receive an extra meeting are the following - Ballinrobe, Clonmel, Cork, Fairyhouse, Listowel, Thurles and Wexford.
• One of the most significant changes is the addition of two new fixtures for the besieged Tipperary venue at Limerick junction. This year it had its fixtures reduced from 12 meetings to eight, and seemed destined for the scrap heap.

Thankfully a local consortium has been welded together and have entered an agreement with the IHA, who own the venue, to lease it back, and to develop it with a view to improving its viability.

• With Easter falling so late next year, it has posed a major problem for the fixture committee, and has resulted in the two major spring meetings at Fairyhouse and Punchestown falling on consecutive weeks.

The Fairyhouse meeting begins on Sunday April 23, with the Irish Grand National retaining its traditional Easter Monday slot.

However, the Punchestown festival begins on the following Tuesday, May 2 and the proximity of both meetings will undoubtedly pose serious problems for trainers, particularly should the ground be fast, next spring.

• On the other hand Punchestown has given up its traditional New Year's Eve meeting - apparently for track development reasons, and Tramore has probably earned the bookmaking industry many millions of pounds by staging the only race meeting in the British Isles on New Year's day.

• Whereas the Saturday and Sunday meetings remain unchanged at 55 and 60 respectively, it seems strange to me that no consideration seems to have been given to the nature of the programme being offered on Saturdays.

The most alarming trend that has developed in latter years is the paucity of some of the Saturday cards on offer, and the subsequent drop in attendance and levy contribution. It would appear that whereas the industry has received a major boost from the introduction of Sunday racing, Saturday racing has suffered to the degree that in many instances these fixtures have absolutely no atmosphere, and are hence losing out to other leisure activities.