Bettyville-bound!
Season to start on St. Patrick’s Day
THE RACING season for 2018 at the Bettyville, Wexford, track makes its traditional start with a €104,000, seven-race National Hunt card on St. Patrick’s Day, with the €26,000 Arctic Tack Stud Veterans’ Handicap Chase being the feature event.
This opening fixture is always well attended if the weather is benign, despite many cultural and sporting counter-attractions. Many people tend to make it a family day out, heading up to Bettyville after the St. Patrick’s Day parades in the morning. The first race is off at 1.55 p.m., but restaurant and bar facilities are open from 12.30 p.m. onwards.
It is hoped a number of trainers, owners and riders will be coming to Wexford in good spirits after scoring major success at the Cheltenham Festival which concludes on Friday.
There are some big games on television on Saturday, with Ireland taking on England in the final big match of the Six Nations rugby championship at Twickenham, and the AIB All-Ireland Club finals at Croke Park.
Michael Murphy, Managing Director at Wexford Racecourse, and his team are taking steps to ensure that fans will be kept up to date. A new larger and clearer big screen will be operating in Wexford for the first time, and a number of extra dedicated TV screens will be available to carry the games.
Michael Murphy was confident that the track will be in tip-top shape for the opening day, fully recovered from The Big Snow. The new ground at the top end and down the back straight will be in use for the first time, after bedding in for a couple of years, bringing the full circuit up to one mile and three furlongs. The new final bend will go into use in a couple of months’ time.
Murphy is very happy with the positive reaction from the racing fraternity to the track’s change of direction to anti-clockwise which is now well established.
‘We now have one of the best courses in the country, with good galloping straights and a testing uphill finish. I am happy the quality of horses coming to Wexford has improved since the change.’
Racing starts at 1.55 p.m. with the first of two €11,500 maiden hurdles over two miles, sponsored by The Pinnacle, Tomcoole, Waters & Kelly’s Farmhouse Bakery, Taghmon, with the 2.30 p.m. race sponsored by The LAD, Murform & McCrea Ltd. Off at 3.05 p.m. is the Neville Hotels Novice Handicap Hurdle of €12,500 (for horses rated 80 to 109) over two miles, followed at 3.40 p.m. by The Micheál O Murchadha Memorial Handicap Hurdle of €16,500 (rated 80-123), over two and a half miles, a race in memory of Michael Murphy’s late father who was a founder of the Bettyville track in 1951.
The Arctic Tack Stud Veterans’ Handicap Steeplechase of €26,000 over two and a half miles is off at 4.15 p.m., and this will feature a number of older horses who have been familiar to supporters for a decade or so.
The Barry Ennis Memorial Novice Handicap Steeplechase of €16,500 over two miles is off at 4.50 p.m., the race in memory of the late Barry Ennis who was one of those who introduced the Spiegeltent to Wexford Festival a few years ago.
Racing concludes at 5.25 p.m. with the Wexford (Pro/Am) Flat Race of €10,000 over two and a half miles.
If the weather gods smile, this should be a good day’s racing and a nice finish to the Cheltenham week.
Remaining 2018 Wexford race dates are: Friday evening, April 6; Saturday afternoon, May 5; Wednesday evenings, May 23, June 6 and June 20; Friday evenings, July 6 and July 27; Saturday afternoon, September 8, and the Wexford Festival meeting on Sunday, October 28, and Monday, October 29.