“The weather forecast is predicting that it will get milder later in the week and we should be fine for racing. We are very positive at this stage,” Russell Ferris said.
“There is a small scattering of snow on the track at the moment. All the fences have been covered, as have the take off and landing areas at each fence. The going at the moment is ‘soft to heavy’.”
Limerick Racecourse has not lost a single day’s racing at Christmas since the track opened at Greenmount Park in 2001.
Limerick-based trainers will again send powerful raiding parties to Greenmount Park in the hope of keeping a large portion of the €400,000 prize money on offer at the four-day Guinness Christmas Racing Festival close to home.
Limerick Racecourse will host Munster’s biggest racing festival and one of the annual highlights of the local sporting and social calendar when the four-day National Hunt racing bonanza is staged at the Patrickswell track from December 26 to 29.
The Guinness Christmas Festival of Racing traditionally attracts a crowd of 40,000 patrons and provides rich pickings for locally-based trainers. Local trainers sent out no fewer than nine winners at the 2008 festival.
Rathkeale handler Eric McNamara continued his excellent strike rate at his local track saddling two winners last December. McNamara is a trainer worth watching at Greenmount as he claimed the top trainer award at the 2005 and 2007 festivals when sending out four winners on each occasion.
Michael Hourigan, who trains within a short distance of the Patrickswell track, also boasts a terrific record at the highly competitive Christmas holiday festival at Limerick Racecourse. In both 2002 and 2003, Hourigan enjoyed his most successful Christmas meetings at Greenmount, saddling a magnificent haul of five winners on each occasion. His tally of wins included an opening day treble in 2002. Hourigan also recorded a fine double at the 2006 fixture.
St. Stephen’s Day is traditionally the biggest day of the Christmas holiday festival, boasting a prize fund of €128,500. The feature race is the €50,000 Grade 2 Guinness Greenmount Park Novice Steeplechase.
Leading trainer Willie Mullins teamed up with jockey David Casey to land the big prize with 9/2 shot Financial Reward 12 months ago.
The €31,500 Grade C Tim Duggan Memorial Handicap Steeplechase takes centre stage on December 27, while the €30,500 Grade 3 Freeman Keane Doran’s Pride Novice Hurdle is the feature race on the third day of the Festival.
Racing concludes on December 29, when the highlights of an attractive seven-race card will include an exciting Hunters Chase.
A big screen in the main enclosure at the track will be showing the big Christmas racing highlights in Ireland and the UK, including the King George from Kempton at St. Stephen’s Day as well as all the top class action from Leopardstown.
Live musical entertainment will be provided after racing in the Munster Suite on both December 26 and 28. A DJ from Spin South West will keep racegoers entertained when spinning the discs in the Munster Suite after the final race is run on December 27.
Free car parking is available at Greenmount Park for 2,000 vehicles or alternatively racegoers can avail of a new bus service provided by Hynan Coaches which will operate from Limerick city, including pick-up points on O’Connell Street, O’Connell Avenue, Crescent Shopping Centre and Raheen Industrial Estate. The bus is due to run to Thomond Park in December 26 and the return fare is €5.
Racing gets underway each day at 12.30pm. General admission is priced at €25 for St. Stephen’s Day or for €20 if booked online in advance while senior citizens and students can avail of a concession rate of €15. The entrance cost is €20 on both December 27 and 28, with €10 for concessions. General admission is priced at €15 on December 29, while senior citizens and students can gain entry for €10.
Colm Kinsella
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