A new era has started at Mayo’s only course
Feature
Mike Finnerty
IT was the morning after the night before at Ballinrobe Racecourse. “We’ve come of age,” smiled John Flannelly as he surveyed the reaction to last Tuesday evening’s race meeting, the first of eight that will take place between now and the end of the season.
The 47 years-old racecourse manager was reflecting on the feedback from the majority of the 2,500 people that had walked through the new entrance building last week to be greeted by the latest additions to Mayo’s only racetrack. The Carra bar, Corrib Restaurant and, the jewel in the crown, the Mask Pavilion.
Judging by the reaction on the track last Tuesday evening, the new €1.3m development has been a resounding success. “The facilities now are as good as anywhere,” said Gordon Elliott, one of the country’s best-known trainers. “The improvements here are out of this world,” remarked bookmaker Brian Graham. “There was a time, not that long ago, when this track was on its knees. It’s incredible what has happened in such a short space of time.”
“It’s amazing to think that the grandstand is one of the oldest buildings on the course now,” John Flannelly told The Mayo News. “That was opened in 1998. The rest of the place is unrecognisable now.
“Ballinrobe race committee, under the stewardship of John Staunton, personify foresight,” he continued. “Going back to the building of the grandstand, there was no Celtic Tiger then, but John and his team pushed on and they did it. Without their backing, none of this work could be done.
“My wife, and left-hand woman, Ann, does an incredible amount of work too. We’re a small racecourse and when we look behind us, there’s nobody there. We don’t have a big team so Ann’s input and support has been so important. This is our life really.”
The latest chapter in the success story began two and a half years ago when a business plan titled, ‘Ballinrobe, racing to the future’ was submitted to Horse Racing Ireland. It sketched out the committee’s ambitious plans and detailed how they intended to finance the project. Their track record, quality of the presentation, and belief in their racecourse proved vital in securing the funding required.
“The way we run our business at Ballinrobe Racecourse had everything to do with getting the funding,” admitted John Flannelly, who has overseen all of the developments since his appointment eleven years ago, following in the footsteps of men like the late Tony Molloy and Jimmy Tierney. “Our past performances were crucial.”
The future looks bright too. Of the 56 races on Ballinrobe’s 2010 schedule, 53 have secured sponsorship. A new website (BallinrobeRacecourse.ie) was unveiled last week, and an extension to the track is also due to be opened in 2012 and that could attract prestigious Group or Grade 3 races.
“The racegoer that comes in through our gates, they’re the most important person in all of this,” said Flannelly. “The people that came on Tuesday night will be important in terms of word-of-mouth. People everywhere will be talking about Ballinrobe racecourse now and success for us is people coming for the rest of the year.
“A lot of credit has to go the construction company, Purcells,” he added. “I was assured it would be done well and on time. And it was. Tom McDonnell, the site manager from Louisburgh, was first-class and made sure everything was done to perfection.
“With this development, we can hold our own with any racecourse in the country. You can spend an evening at Ballinrobe races now in comfort at whatever level you want. You can stay in the betting ring, go the pavilion, be in the bar, or have a meal in the restaurant. The weather last year was very disappointing but now we have the facilities to deal with that.”
