THE countdown is well under way at Limerick for their annual Christmas extravaganza. The four-day Festival of racing runs from Wednesday, December 26th and continues until Saturday 29th.

General manager Patrick O’Callaghan has secured an overall title sponsor for the meeting in the Limerick headquartered waste recycling business Mr Binman. The company will also attach its name to a race on St Stephen’s Day.

Further development of the meeting is exemplified by the 14% growth in prize money on offer, and this now stands at some €550,000. As if all of this was not enough, a little piece of history will be made on December 26th when the track will stage its first ever Grade 1 race, the coveted novices’ chase that is being sponsored by sports betting exchange company Matchbook.

As befits a race that has a value of €100,000, it will be shown live on RTE’s Christmas racing coverage. While stay at home punters and racing followers will be able to see the action live, more than 40,000 paying customers are expected to stream through the turnstiles at Greenmount over the four days of sport.

Each day will feature a seven-race card and action will get away soon after noon each day. With great access to the racecourse available, parking is not a problem, though the usual good advice to be there early is recommended. For those who want to extend the days fun, there will be attractive and varied post-race entertainment at no extra cost!

Themed days are very popular with occasional or new racegoers and two to note at Limerick are the Sunway Holidays Most Stylish Lady competition on Friday 28th, while families are the focus of attention on the Saturday with lots of entertainment for the young and old.

Booking in advance is now a popular form of ticket acquisition and a great way to skip the queues. If you go to www.limerickraces.ie you will find tickets available from €15 and a host of packages that can include food and drinks. Short of a gift idea for your racing-mad family member or friend? The solution is just a click away. And remember, children under 12 are free on all four days, while there is an online only offer of two adult tickets for €20.

Limerick attracts many stars of the future and just five years ago Faugheen caught the attention of everyone when he produced a stunning turn of foot to win the Grade 3 Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle. The race was named in honour of a great Limerick-trained runner. Recent chasing star Sir Des Champs is another who visited the winner’s enclosure at Greenmount on his way to glory at Cheltenham.

Grade 1 status is not given lightly to races and they have to earn the honour. The way to do this is by the quality of past winners and the participants. The newly upgraded Grade 1 chase has been won in recent times by stars such as Bellshill, Outlander and Gilgamboa, and this has largely contributed to its new status.

Central to the success of any racecourse is the quality of the ground it provides. This is a job that requires total commitment from a team who work in all weathers and conditions to provide safe jumping ground. At Limerick the responsibility falls to two main men, Val O’Connell the clerk of the course, and track foreman Dave Buston who has been in the role for 15 years.

In addition to looking after the track, Limerick man Val has overall responsibility for the general arrangements for each meeting, something he is especially proud of for his local course.