GALLERY: Horse Racing Ireland roadshow at Lawlor's Hotel, Naas on Thursday

Photos by Conor Healy

Final HRI Roadshow Held In Kildare

All three racecourses in County Kildare had a presence at the well-attended event, Dick O’Sullivan and Conor O’Neill from Punchestown were in attendance ahead of their busy five day festival.

Tom Ryan and Jackie Donohoe of Naas Racecourse have plenty to look forward to in the months ahead as the Flat season kicks into gear while Derek McGrath and Evan Arkwright of the Curragh reported on the progress of their massive redevelopment programme ahead of their year which begins with a two-day fixture on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12.

All three tracks have benefited from the HRI’s Racecourse Capital Development scheme in recent times, with Punchestown having received €2.5 million, a figure of €3.5 million going to Naas and overall grant aid of €12.5 million going towards the ongoing work at the Curragh.

The building project at the Curragh was among the topics put forward for discussion.

Those in attendance engaged with CEO of HRI, Brian Kavanagh, and members of the HRI senior management team on a range of issues including a staffing shortage within the industry, the potential devastating implications of Brexit for racing and breeding in Ireland, media rights, the vital economic role played by racing and breeding in rural Ireland, and the importance of a solid funding structure to grow the industry and provide opportunities for those at every level.

Jason Morris, Director of Racing at HRI, addressed race programming and the patterns that have emerged in Irish racing in recent years. He heard concerns expressed by those present, including breeders, trainers and permit holders.

Those in attendance also heard of the challenges in attracting people to go racing from HRI’s Commercial and Marketing Director Paul Dermody.