Officials eye Leopardstown potential to cater for larger festival crowds despite criticism of facilities

Leopardstown officials plan to examine the racecourse site and see if facilities can be put in place to cater for potentially larger attendances at future festival events.

It comes on the back of a 4 per cent increase in the crowd at the weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival.

Sunday’s crowd of just over 16,000 was down more than 800 on the corresponding 2023 figure. But on the back of Saturday’s record 20,017 attendance, the overall figure of 36,020 was up above 1,500 on last year.

There was considerable social media flak towards Leopardstown on Saturday with criticism of how the track dealt with such massive numbers in terms of toilets, bar facilities and access to ATMs.

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Unhappiness was also expressed about traffic management on the approaches to the Foxrock course and an apparent lack of gardaí on duty.

“The traffic issue was caused by a number of traffic incidents on the M50 around junctions 11, 12 and 13 which caused some difficulties for the gardaí. Traffic is something we always engage with the gardaí on and they do the very best that they can,” said Leopardstown chief executive Tim Husbands on Monday.

“In terms of our own facilities I thought they coped well. You could always have more toilets which is something we review after every race festival. We will look at arrangements for 2025 DRF [Dublin Racing Festival] and Christmas coming later on this year and see how we can make improvements.

“But I think overall the feedback we got from our customers from the UK and at home was that they had a fantastic weekend and a great customer experience,” he added.

Husbands also said he was “reassured” by how the track was able to cope with Saturday’s capacity crowd.

“On Saturday, we probably got a few more at the gate than we were expecting and that gave us a nice bounce. A 4 per cent increase is a fantastic result and it gives us a great challenge as to how and where we can grow the crowd next year.

“Because there is obviously a very significant demand for that, particularly from the UK. We’ll just have to look at the site map again and see where we can stretch it to,” he said.

He also noted how cash is still used widely at racetracks.

“As we move towards a cashless society, it’s clear that horse racing doesn’t come into that factor. There was huge demand to try and get cash out on the day. We’ve actually doubled the numbers of ATMs we’ve had in previous times.

“I think it was probably due to the increased amount of customers coming from the UK that perhaps needed cash that they hadn’t brought with them at the time,” Husbands said.

Fairyhouse is another track operated by Horse Racing Ireland and faces a more immediate issue in a 4pm inspection on Tuesday afternoon ahead of Wednesday’s scheduled meeting.

Up to 20mm of rain could fall on the course on Tuesday which is raceable but “heavy”.

“If it is as bad as the forecast says we will be under pressure,” said Fairyhouse boss Peter Rose. “The good thing is that it’s dry tomorrow evening and it’s not forecast to rain the day after. If I get north of 10mm I’ll be in trouble; if it’s less, we have a chance.”

Wednesday’s card includes a four-runner chase that includes the Cheltenham hopeful Corbetts Cross.

The JP McManus-owned horse is a 6-1 second favourite with some firms for the long-distance National Hunt Chase at the festival and is due to be ridden by top amateur Derek O’Connor at Fairyhouse.

If racing gets a green light, Corbetts Cross’s opposition includes the Gordon Elliott-trained Run Wild Fred. He was runner-up to Stattler in the 2022 renewal of the National Hunt Chase.

In other news, Conflated is as low as 8-1 to land next month’s Ryanair at Cheltenham for his owner Michael O’Leary.

The big-race sponsor famously won his own race in 2018 with Balko Des Flos and is set to rely on Conflated this time.

The horse ran a stormer before unseating Jack Kennedy at the last in Saturday’s Irish Gold Cup and will now head for the Ryanair rather than take up the cross-county option at Cheltenham.

“We believe he is a quick three-miler who might not get an extended three miles on a staying track in heavy ground, but he’s a quick three-miler and the Ryanair should suit him down to the ground. You have to get three miles to win a Ryanair so hopefully that will be the race. Otherwise, we have the cross-country. But I would say it would be the Ryanair,” said Gigginstown Stud’s Eddie O’Leary on Monday.

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