July end for Markets Field

THE Markets Field will close its doors on July 17.
The Irish Greyhound Board have confirmed that almost 80 years of racing at the current Limerick Greyhound Stadium will end with a special night of racing in mid-July.
With the new multi-million euro stadium on the Dock Road not opening until October 8 Limerick will be without greyhound racing for over two months.
“We have worked closely with the local greyhound owners and breeders association and credit is due to them for taking the long-term view on this. The inconvenience will soon pass while the stadium will be a major success story for many decades,” said Irish Greyhound Board Chief Executive Adrian Neilan.
The Irish Greyhound Board is putting on additional racing at the Kingdom Stadium in Tralee and at Galway Stadium to accommodate as best as possible those owners and trainers who would normally race at Limerick.
The main construction work on the new stadium on the Greenpark site is now complete and the laying of the racing surface will commence in mid-July ahead of trials in early September.
The CEO explained the reason behind the two months without racing.
“Of crucial importance to the opening of the new stadium is the assurance of a safe and consistent running surface for competing greyhounds. To ensure that all welfare needs are met in this regard the decision to move the sand from the existing Markets Field site has been taken. This will ensure that the racing surface quickly knits and beds in and that there are no long time delays in waiting for the surface to settle as has been the case in the past when stadia opened with new racing circuits,” said Neilan.
“We have experienced problems with quarry sand at Kilkenny earlier this year and we will not compromise the safety or quality of the track at Limerick.
“In order to move the sand and bed in the new track this does mean there will be a period of a little over two months when there will be no racing in the city, but it is in the best interests of the welfare of the greyhounds in the long-term.
“We must also remember the St Leger is scheduled to run in December and we have a responsibility to our owners and trainers to ensure every measure is taken to ensure the safety of their greyhounds when the new stadium opens,” Neilan added.

Jerome O’Connell