THE Ladbrokes Festival of Racing at Down Royal is less than a week away.

Starting next Friday, this two-day meeting kicks off the National Hunt season and the road to Cheltenham every year.

This year, a total prize fund of €425,000 is expected to draw in some of the best jumping talent. The Festival’s impressive roll of honour includes Kauto Star, Beef Or Salmon, Don Cossack and Frodon, to name just a few.

Emma Meehan has been CEO of Down Royal Racecourse since 2019 and she is looking forward to the Festival just as much as anyone.

“I’m absolutely buzzing for the Festival,” she told us. “Speaking to trainers, the early entries have been very positive and people are happy to be back. It’s our flagship festival, with the leading light being the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Chase on Saturday.”

Last year’s Festival was scheduled, as usual, for the first weekend in November but was postponed a week due to a waterlogged track; this year the weather seems to be playing ball.

Enigma

“Last year was an enigma, it started raining in September and didn’t subside and the reality is, there’s not much we can do. We’re on a flood plain here, enveloped by the River Lagan. Arguably, the course could have been raced on the original date last year, but we were submerged in the office, car park, parade ring and stable yard.

“Our main priority is the safety of the equine population and the function of the event. Thanks to Horse Racing Ireland allocating us the following weekend, we were able to salvage last year’s Festival, but there’s no concern for this year.”

The wider racing community aside, the Festival is a huge event in Lisburn and the surrounding areas, always drawing in a big crowd, it’s a big deal for the local community.

“Lisburn and Castlereagh Council, via their tourism fund, fund a portion of the Festival because it’s a significant piece of their objectives as a local council. For us to extrapolate that support, the racecourse has had to deliver the numbers in terms of the crowd.

“The racecourse team work tirelessly 12 months of the year, so we always look forward to opening our doors to welcome the industry and the public to our racecourse where we see the fruits of our labour being enjoyed. It’s even more exciting for a festival as prestigious as the Ladbrokes Festival of Racing, we look forward to it tremendously. Without them we wouldn’t have achieved what we have over the past five years.

“Being afforded the opportunity to take over the running of Down Royal has been massive. I was hungry for the opportunity and I’m very excited for the future. There’s more to come.”