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THE future of racing at Down Royal was clouded in uncertainty on Wednesday afternoon when the racecourse management issued a statement to say that it would "close operations" at the end of this year and was seeking a new site for racing.
Within minutes a spokesperson for the land owners, Merrion Property Group, told The Irish Field that it was "very much the intention" of the group to install new management and continue running the racecourse at the current venue in 2019.
Based in Dublin, Merrion Property acquired the racecourse lands in 2005 but allowed the tenants, the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders, to continue racing there under a 15-year lease. That lease expires at the end of this year and it is understood that the owners have won the right to evict the current management and run the racecourse themselves.
Fixtures for 2019 have already been allocated to Down Royal and a senior racing administrator has told The Irish Field that the authorities understand the site at Down Royal will be available for racing for the forseeable future.
However, a statement issued by the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders at 2pm on Wednesday gave the impression that racing would cease at the Maze after this year. It said that the Corporation was seeking a new location for racing.
The statement said: "Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders, the organisation which runs Down Royal Race Course, will close operations at the Maze site outside Belfast at the end of this year. The Corporation has raced on the site for over 300 years and under lease for the last 35 of those years. This lease concludes on December 31st 2018 and possession will return to the current landlord."
The statement suggested that the Corporation was retaining 'ownership' of Down Royal's 12 fixtures. Racecourse chairman Jim Nicholson was quoted as saying: "We are facing new opportunities and there is every likelihood that Down Royal will find a new home."
It is thought it could take years before a new racecourse site could be developed to the point where it would be licensed to race.
Meanwhile, the Merrion Property Group quickly gave a statement to The Irish Field which said: "We have always stressed our determination to assume the day to day operational management of Down Royal, with horse racing at its centre.
"The withdrawal of the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders from the Lands Tribunal process brings forward that outcome and we will continue our preparation to deliver horse racing from the beginning of 2019. We are looking forward to a new era at Down Royal and to enhancing the experience of racegoers and other stakeholders while contributing to the local and wider community.
"We will maintain contact with local stakeholders, including political representatives and Lisburn and Castlereagh Council as we develop our plans. We are at the beginning of an exciting new era for Down Royal."
Later on Wednesday afternoon, Down Royal chairman Jim Nicholson told The Irish Field: “The Down Royal Racecourse name is owned by the ‘Corporation’ and so if there is to be racing at the venue in 2019 it will have to be under a different name. There is also a question mark over the allocation of fixtures but we are playing a longer game in that regard. At the moment we are looking at three possible venues for a new racecourse and a decision will be made sooner rather than later.”
He said he regretted that the land owners could not agree to a new deal with the current racecourse management. “We made every attempt through our legal team to offer the owners all sorts of scenarios and they were rejected,” he said.
There has been industry speculation that the Merrion Property Group will ultimately seek to build houses on the racecourse lands. However, in order to evict the current management, the company had to convince both the Lands Tribunal in Northern Ireland and the racing authorities in the Republic of its bona fides.
MORE ON THIS STORY IN THE IRISH FIELD NEXT WEEKEND
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