This week’s Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) column is all about Down Royal Racecourse and their final fixture on this year’s racing calendar, which will take place on December 26th with Metcollect Limited taking on title sponsorship for the second year.

This particular meeting is one of the most popular fixtures in Down Royal’s calendar and has become a hugely popular tradition for people who are looking for a fun day out and some fresh air following the Christmas Day festivities.

Down Royal racegoers are delighted to have racing back in action, with crowds returning to pre-Covid capacity levels at the recent two-day Ladbrokes Festival of Racing. This is so much so that the upcoming Boxing Day fixture is proving extremely popular, and the hospitality packages are already sold out.

Emma Meehan, chief executive at Down Royal Racecourse, commented: “This year has been quite the journey for everyone and we were delighted to bring racing back to the general public following the restrictions brought about by the pandemic.

“It was heart-warming to see Down Royal back to full capacity for the Festival of Racing and, with an action-packed racecard expected for Boxing Day, we are encouraging punters to book their tickets in advance as there will be no ticket sales at the gate on the day of the meeting.”

Metcollect, the largest cable recycler in Northern Ireland, will take on feature sponsorship of the meeting on Boxing Day and the programme includes the Metcollect Handicap Steeplechase.

Metcollect

Geoff Angus, managing director of Metcollect, said: “We are delighted to renew our sponsorship with Down Royal and this provides the team at Metcollect with the opportunity to promote our business to a diverse audience, and at the same time be part of an extremely exciting sport.

“We’re looking forward to a fantastic family day out on Boxing Day and to developing our relationship with Down Royal going forward into 2022.”

Founded in 2015, Metcollect Limited are specialist recyclers supporting the plumbing, electrical, automotive and construction industries, buying and recycling copper, electrical cable, oil recycling and hazardous wastes. Currently servicing over 2,000 customers across Ireland, the company has recently opened a new 14,000 square foot hazardous waste treatment facility in Belfast.

Sponsors

Emma Meehan continued: “Without our sponsors, it would not be possible for us to put on such top-quality racing for our punters, and we are grateful to Metcollect for their continued support of our Boxing Day fixture.

“We are heading into 2022 with gusto and the overarching objective is to provide memorable and social experiences for businesses and sportspeople alike. It’s going to be an even bigger and better year for horse racing in Northern Ireland.”

The Association of Irish Racecourses would like to wish the team at Down Royal Racecourse the very best of luck with their upcoming final fixture of 2021.