GALWAY Racecourse management says it needs clarity from the Government “in the coming days” if the racecourse is to proceed with its aspiration to accommodate 5,000 spectators on each day of the Summer Festival at the end of this month.
Following last weekend’s pilot event at the Curragh, which saw 1,000 spectators watch the Irish Derby, Galway Racecourse has applied for permission to host 5,000 racegoers per day from Monday, July 26th to Sunday, August 1st.
Track manager Michael Moloney said: “This is something we have been working on for a number of weeks. The application has been made to the Department of Agriculture by ourselves directly and also through Horse Racing Ireland.
“We have also had great local political support from the likes of Hildegarde Naughton, Ollie Crowe, Ann Rabbitte and many more, so we are hopeful of seeing spectators back to Ballybrit.
“Other sporting events have been moving forward, in terms of numbers, with the Irish Open this week and 8,000 in Croke Park. Therefore, racing needs to keep pace.”
Asked how soon Galway needed to know if they could allow 5,000 racegoers each day, Moloney said: “While 5,000 may seem small in comparison to our normal numbers, it still presents some logistical challenges, in terms of lead time, for our many suppliers. We are just three weeks out and, to cater for this number of people, we would need clarity from the Government in the coming days.”
Moloney said “the phones have not stopped ringing for the last few weeks” with queries from the public regarding race tickets. “It has been great to chat to some of these people and just get a sense of what Galway means to them,” he said. “We just hope that we can make it happen.”
He confirmed that the vaccination centre on-course would not be affected if racegoers will allowed back.
“We have been working with the HSE to ensure a plan is in place for both venues to operate. We have a 150-acre site with three vehicle access points, and a dedicated entrance building and car parking. We have a normal capacity of 46,000, so we feel we are well placed to facilitate 5,000.”
Meanwhile, all racecourses will be allowed to have 500 patrons on course, starting with Roscommon next Tuesday. Each racecourse can use its own discretion on how to allocate tickets, but racehorse owners – including all club and syndicate members – will have priority.
Regina Byrne, manager of the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners, said: “It’s fantastic to see racing opening up even further and huge credit goes to the IHRB and HRI whose procedures and protocols for owners have been working extremely well.
“Currently there are four owners allowed per horse but from next week we are back to the pre-Covid levels. We are also delighted that one owner per horse is permitted in the parade ring prior to the race with winning connections allowed in for the presentation, which is also something we worked hard for.”
Advice for owners
HRI Ownership is asking all owners who believe they might have a runner in the next few weeks to register on the IHRB health screening system and download the app. This means they will be ready to generate a barcode when they have a runner.
HRI’s Amber Byrne said: “We are also asking them to ensure they have their AIR cards and familiarise themselves on how to apply for additional tickets and the deadlines involved.”
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