WHILE racing dynasties are commonplace within the ranks of trainers and jockeys, those of us employed at racecourses can also boast similar bloodlines.

My grandfather Thomas Harrington originally worked as a gateman at Naas Racecourse. When he retired, my own father [also Thomas] took over the job, then finally the baton was handed down to me. After serving my time in that role, I applied for the role of trackman; a position I have now held for over a quarter of a century.

My earliest memories of racing are accompanying my father to Naas and sitting on the gate watching the people go by; they were different times.

I was always around the track through my school years – I suppose even then I knew I would one day make it my career. Myself, my father and my grandfather also worked putting back the track at Punchestown during the Festival for many years, which was three days back then. It was a wonderful experience with so many good memories working with those two men who are sadly no longer with us.

Family affair

After leaving school, I first worked in three local Naas companies: Dennison Trailers, PCI Industries and Masterplast. I helped my father out on the gate at Naas whenever time allowed and after his retirement I went full-time.

Later, I heard the racecourse were looking for a groundsman, so I went to go see Margaret McGuinness who was manager at the time. To her credit, she gave me a shot, and 27 years later I’m still here! Looking back, I’d say my grandfather and father working there probably swung it. I handed over my gate job to my Uncle Michael so it remained a family affair.

Aside from ourselves, there are still other longstanding Naas families working here on race days such as the Sheridans, O’Connors, Dunnes, and Treacys to name a few. It just shows the great support that the locals have given to the track over the years.

When I started my job as groundsman it was under the leadership of Pat Timmons. He had a wealth of knowledge and guided me for 23 years until his retirement in 2018. He was here in Naas for 44 years.

Upgrading

My jobs here at the track have varied over the years, from ground repair and maintenance, looking after the starting stalls before racing, and on flat meeting days, general repairs and maintenance, to building and repairing fences and hurdles from scratch. There is always something to do here which makes time go fast and the work enjoyable. So much has changed in Naas over the years, it unrecognisable from the day I first arrived here. Everything has been upgraded with the facilities from the stands, weighroom, stable yard, the circle building, and on track the widening of the track, groundwork improvements and our watering system which is a great help for our summer racing. Naas is one of the busiest and best tracks in the country as we race all year round both flat and National Hunt.

Over the last few years we have started and finished the flat racing season. We are now coming to the end of a busy and challenging flat season but it will also be busy throughout the winter months as we race all year round.

There is no rest as we now go straight into our National Hunt season. We are used to it at this stage. This year, lady luck was on our side when it came to weather, this helps enormously when it comes to getting the track ready.

Over the next few months all our fences and hurdles have to be repaired or in some cases rebuilt with new birch and the eight fences have to be reset up on track.

Many people don’t realise the work involved, they just see the finished article on race day. So much more goes on behind the scenes with a big team involved. It can be very challenging at times but when it all comes together it can also be very rewarding.

You never stop learning on the job here, as there are always new challenges, it’s either the weather, new machinery or finding different and more efficient ways to doing things.

Redevelopment

Despite being involved in racing all my life, it’s always just on the other side of the tracks. I have never taken the plunge into ownership, but never say never.

Everybody loves coming racing to Naas and this is as good as being a winning owner when you have a successful day of racing. We are regarded as being one of the best tracks in Ireland and trainers love bringing their horses here, either for the flat or National Hunt. We always have plenty of runners and we also accommodate schooling where possible. We have five full-time track staff including myself so there is no shortage of work on and off the track.

We have a new manager, Eamonn McEvoy for the last 15 months, he took over from Tom Ryan. Tom oversaw some major redevelopment at Naas in his time at the helm.

Eamonn now continues to be proactive in pushing the racecourse forward, as does Roy Butler (track foreman) on the track, along with the other track staff John O’ Connor, John Gorey and Joe Hannon.

We look forward to our Grade 1 Lawlors Day in January and at some stage in the near future a Group 1 for our flat season.

For now however, today will see the curtain come down on another flat season. Despite the difficulties the last few months have brought, it has been great to keep racing going and see Naas once again come to the fore. Long may it continue.

Declan Harrington was in conversation with John O’Riordan