Major change at Bettyville
BETTYVILLE WILL become a National Hunt-only racecourse, following a decision taken at a meeting of the Board of Horse Racing Ireland.
Since Wexford switched from being a right-handed to a left-handed course in April, 2015, the consensus is that the racecourse has been much improved for staging National Hunt racing.
Going left-handed, the racecourse now has an uphill finish and the obstacles are better positioned than when it was a right-handed course. The final two fences and hurdles are very well located in front of the stands, providing an exciting spectacle for racegoers, who are able to view the finish on a large screen directly opposite.
Although the National Hunt fixtures at Wexford have been successful, a much lower runner limit (of ten) has been in place for the Flat meetings held at Wexford (two last year and one in May this year).
Despite remedial work including improved cambering of the bends, which was undertaken over the last winter, it has become clear, following discussions with the Turf Club, Irish Racehorse Trainers’ Association and Irish Jockeys’ Association, that the course will not be suitable for larger field sizes on the Flat.
The Board of H.R.I. has therefore decided that Flat racing should be discontinued at Wexford, with the Flat race opportunities being provided at alternative racecourses which are able to accommodate higher numbers of runners.
The two remaining Flat fixtures scheduled for Wexford this year will be transferred, to Gowran Park (Saturday, July 23) and Navan (Saturday, August 27) respectively.
As a National Hunt-only venue, Wexford will continue to stage its existing annual allocation of eleven fixtures in 2017. The three current Flat fixtures will become National Hunt fixtures, which will require some changes of code to meetings at other racecourses, while Wexford’s racing calendar may also need to be altered slightly.
The Wexford racecourse management have been fully consulted in the decision-making process and are supportive of the change to become a National Hunt only venue, believing that the improved left-handed circuit will enable them to upgrade the quality of their jumps programme.
‘We’re going National Hunt because that’s what the people of the south-east and Wexford want,’ said Wexford Racecourse managing director Michael Murphy.
He added more than €100,000 had been spent upgrading and improving the course as part of the change to left-handed racing in the past twelve months.
The managing director said the change to Wexford being a National Hunt course had not been foisted on him by H.R.I. and he hadn’t been surprised when the announcement was made.
He said Wexford Racecourse would lose money as a result of the two summer fixtures being moved, but he had not yet worked out how much. THE FEATURE event on this Thursday night’s card at Enniscorthy Dog Track is the Track Supporters’ A4/5 tri-distance final.
The 600 yards race will of course play into the stayers’ strengths, and none more so than Piercestown Stag who ran a terrific race when taking the first semi-final last week over the 575-yard trip.
The well-backed Tree Tops Beauty set the early pace with Fleeting Queen tracking her down the back before moving into the lead between the last two bends and looking the likely winner until Piercestown Stag loomed up and powered past up the straight to score going away in a very good 31.64.
The Seamus ‘Shanks’ Whelan runner is the very likely favourite to take the final.
The second semi also saw the favourite lead as Mulrankin Jack turned into the back with a nice advantage from Tagalong Hawkeye before Tagalong took control at the third bend and went on to score by three lengths from the favourite in a time of 32.27 for owner Dermot Flynn (Enniscorthy).
Tagalong Roy was an impressive winner of race eight, an A1, scoring by four and a half lengths in a fast 28.87.
Race seven also saw a good run from Karlow Crean who led from his trap five draw to score a very eye-catching win in a good 30.30 over 550 yards.
Owners the WKC syndicate and Henry Kelly were completing a nice double on the night as Karlow Billy made it three wins from three starts in race two, recording an easy nine lengths victory in a good 29.14.
The Enniscorthy Credit Union A3 Stake also gets under way on Thursday and it will be a cracking night’s racing.