26 RACECOURSE CHALLENGE – Number 13

THE opening meeting of 2017 at Wexford coincided with the first anniversary of the last flat meeting held at the venue. While the disappointment of no longer having flat racing is palpable, it may be a blessing in disguise for a racecourse nestled in the heart of the National Hunt breeding industry. There was a good crowd present and the large screen showed action from Newmarket, where Wexford native Aidan O’Brien was stealing the show.

Michael Murphy took me on a drive around the inside of the track which is undergoing a huge transformation, with more widening in the pipeline.

Going left-handed now means that the finish is away from the existing facilities but racegoers seemed happy to be able to watch it on the big screen.

I am very keen on racecard information and having met visitors to the races from Northern Ireland and Canada, as well as familiar faces, it was good to see such information as The Points of a Horse and an A-Z Guide to Racing included for new or novice attendees.

Wexford was my 13th different racecourse visit on the challenge to see all 26 Irish racecourses – on a raceday - in 2017.

I hopefully have three coming up in quick succession – the Curragh, Killarney and Clonmel, after last night’s visit to KIlbeggan.