Ballinrobe all set for bumper 2017 season

Michael Duffy

IT was a case of onwards and upwards for everyone involved with Ballinrobe Racecourse at their launch night at the course on Friday night last, with details of nine exciting and themed race days to look forward to from May 2 to September 21.
This season sees seven National Hunt meetings and two Flat meetings take place, with total prize-money fund of €920,000. There will be eleven feature races throughout the season, each with a prize-fund of between €20,000 and €40,000.
Over 100 attended the launch including guests Michael Grassick, Chief Executive of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association; Aiden Burns, Manager of the Association of the Irish Racehorse Owners Association; Leo Powell, Editor, Irish Field; Nessa Joyce, Office Manager, Irish European Breeders Fund, and representatives of main sponsors McHale Farm Machinery, Vaughan Shoes and Breaffy House Resort, and many of the other local sponsors.
Racecourse Manager, John Flannelly, unveiled the plan for the 2017 season which includes the newly refurbished bars which were all upgraded during the winter. Planning permission has also been received for a new racecourse entrance, which will commence in September.  This new phase of redevelopment is part of the Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) racecourse capital development scheme, with HRI providing 40 percent of the total project cost.
John Flannelly said: “We are delighted to launch our  2017 racing programme. Our customers are our number one priority here in Ballinrobe. We have just completed extensive refurbishment of our two public bars, which will greatly enhance the raceday experience, and works on a new racecourse entrance will get underway at the end of our season. Sponsorship is key to our success, with over 95 percent of our races sponsored, we very much appreciate the continued level of local sponsorship support.”
In an interview with MC for the night Kevin Murphy, Mr Flannelly also welcomed the recent news that a new hotel is to be built in the town of Ballinrobe, a development he said which will make sure that many racegoers will now be able to stay in the town itself, rather than travel to other hotels in the vicinity.

Opening date
Racing begins on May 2 with the Breaffy House Resort Raceday followed by one of the biggest day’s racing on the western calendar, McHale Raceday on May 30.
Now in their fourth year of sponsorship, McHale will once again sponsor the Mayo National, which has increased in value from €30,000 to €40,000, making it the most valuable race at Ballinrobe this year.
Vaughan Shoes will also once again sponsor the ever-popular ladies day on June 27 with judging this year by TV fashion stylist, broadcaster and personal shopper, Marietta Doran. The best dressed lady will receive a cash prize of €1,500, with nine runner-up prizes.
Family day at Ballinrobe Racecourse takes place on Monday, July 24 with a whole host of free activities for children, including a bouncy castle, the front runner club, colouring competitions and face painting.
At the entertaining launch evening, interviews were also conducted with Michael Grassick, Chief Executive of the Irish Racehorse Trainers’ Association, who described Ballinrobe as ‘the most progressive track in the country; and with Cheltenham winning trainer Pat Kelly from Craughwell, who spoke of his joy of training successive winners at the festival with Mall Dini winning last year, followed by Presenting Percy last month.

Fixtures 2017
Tuesday, May 2
Monday, May 29
Tuesday, May 30
Tuesday, June 27
Monday, July 24
Tuesday, July 25
Monday, August 14
Tuesday, August 29
Thursday, September 21 (day meeting)