Ireland set for all-weather racing debut

Ireland’s first all-weather racecourse is entering the final stages of construction at Dundalk in Co Louth.

Based on the east coast, roughly halfway between Dublin and Belfast, the €35m development involves a floodlit 10-furlong Polytrack surface (a mix of sand, fibre, rubber and pvc with a wax coating), inside which is a top-class Greyhound track. The project became possible when the town’s horse and dog tracks, which were on different sites, amalgamated their resources.

Jim Martin, Dundalk’s chief executive, said: “With Polytrack replacing dirt surfaces at racecourses across America, the opportunity to open Ireland’s first floodlit all-weather track could not be missed.

“We are working flat out to complete the job in time for our opening meeting on 26 August.”

This news report was first published in Horse & Hound (17 May, ’07)

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