THE first St Stephen’s Day meeting staged by the new management team at Down Royal proved very successful as over 5,000 racegoers attended the fixture where there were three northern-trained winners.

“The weather wasn’t that kind in the morning so it was tremendous to have so many people coming through the gates,” said the track’s chief executive officer/manager, Emma Meehan. “It was a really nice way to round off our first year in operation.

“The handicap chase was sponsored by the Lisburn-based recycling firm Metcollect. They are part of a fleet of 26 new sponsors here this year which, after a standing start, was very encouraging and meant we could continue to attract support from owners and trainers.

“The upgraded facilities in the male jockeys’ room, which include a new sauna, were very well received by jockeys and valets alike. We consulted extensively with the IHRB (Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board) throughout the upgrade to make sure everything we did was fit for purpose and the feedback has been very positive.

“We can really call the place our own now and have learned something new at each of the 12 meetings we held during 2019. Our modus operandi is to continue to make improvements which will ensure that we offer a quality experience both on and off the track and, with the backing of our sponsors, we can offer top-class racing.

“We are very grateful for the support we have received over the past year from the IHRB, HRI (Horse Racing Ireland), sponsors, owners, trainers, jockeys, the media and racegoers. We offered free admission to the first meeting we held here last year and will be doing the same on Tuesday, January 28th, when the entire card will be sponsored by Molson Coors.”