RACEGOERS at this weekend’s two-day Punchestown meeting have an opportunity to observe the progress made on building a new flat track at the venue.

The project has been ongoing for the past five years and may not stage its first race until 2030 but the outline of the one-mile track – which joins the main circuit at the turnout of the back straight – is now clearly visible from the grandstand.

The extension allows for a one-mile distance from start to finish but the chute will also be utilised for races over hurdles and fences over distances from two and a half miles to two-six.

Punchestown’s racing manager Richie Galway told The Irish Field: “It’s a very big project which is in two phases. The first phase involved widening the straight by 35 metres, installation of the ring main, and upgrading our water reservoir in front of the stands.

“We did not put a timeframe on when we would race on the wider home straight but we introduced it gradually during the winter because we felt it was ready. As a result we lost no racedays due to unraceable ground last season and it meant we could rest our Festival ground for longer. The second phase required a build-up of a million tonnes of material to allow us to build up the base layer for the new track.

“Then we had the movement and reallocation of ground to allow for the construction of a very large reservoir, fed by two natural water supplies, and also the collection of rain water over the winter. We now have 11 million gallons in a lined reservoir.

“Now the last half-metre of material is being laid and this is when it starts getting exciting because you can start to see the new racetrack emerge.

“We have gone to tender with that and work will start this month with a view to being completed by the end of the summer. There is also a tunnel under construction at the point where the new flat track meets the existing circuit, at the end of the back straight.

“By autumn we will have a lot of the work competed and then it’s just a matter of giving it time to bed in.

“Based on completion this season, we won’t introduce the extended track until we and all stakeholders are happy with the surface. That’s likely to be a minimum of three years from completion.”