WHEN the 2027 fixture list is published in September, it will include the first set of meetings to be staged at Tipperary’s new all-weather track.

This week, the racecourse staged two public information events at the track - one for locals and one for racing industry participants - and it was confirmed that the new all-weather circuit is on target to begin racing in November 2027.

Trainers, owners and breeders were among those present at Tuesday’s presentation in the small ‘Limerick end’ stand, where Tipperary chairman Maurice Moloney and manager Andrew Hogan talked through the development.

There were plenty of questions from the floor and afterwards a fleet of 4x4 vehicles took observers around the site, where activity has been intense for the past four months.

Both Moloney and Hogan repeatedly invited those present to make suggestions on elements of the plan before they were finalised. For example, they have already taken on board stakeholder views regarding the location of saddling boxes and the location of the track exit/entry point for horses.

Maurice Moloney said: “Today marks another important milestone for Tipperary Racecourse, in a journey that began with a shared vision to create a modern, sustainable training and racing facility that will serve the needs of the industry for a long, long time to come.

“The development of the all-weather track represents major investment in the future of our racecourse and significant investment in Tipperary itself.

“However, while the infrastructure and the investment are critical, the real story behind this project is collaboration. That’s why we’re talking with all of you here today. We want to get in front of as many people as we can, to show them what we’re doing, and to see what they can offer, or what they think we should do. And we want to listen to what you have to say.

“The support and guidance we have received from the government, Horse Racing Ireland, along with the industry bodies, is invaluable to us. Large-scale projects, such as this, are never achieved by one organisation acting alone.

“Success comes when people come together on a common objective, and throughout this process there has been genuine willingness across the industry to share expertise, challenge ideas constructively, and work collectively towards the best possible outcome.

“This is about much more than bricks and mortar, bright lights and sand. It’s about creating opportunities for other businesses, for local tourism, and it’s about supporting employment within the industry.

“It’s about strengthening the competitiveness and attractiveness of Irish racing on both the national and international stage. Importantly, it’s about supporting the next generation.

“I would like to pay a particular tribute to everyone working on this project. The professionalism, expertise and commitment demonstrated by the contractors, the engineers and the project teams have all been exceptional. They are turning ambition into reality.

“I want to thank the people who are involved here day in, day out. They’re working very, very hard, and that’s Andrew, Perry, Keith and Daniel. They’re here night and day, solving problems as they arise.

“There’s still work ahead of us, and we are extremely encouraged by the progress achieved. We remain focused on delivering this facility that meets the highest standards for the entire racing community.

“The success of the project belongs not to any one individual, but to all those who have contributed their time and efforts thus far. We’re here to listen to your feedback. We want to hear what you all have to say.

“Together, we’re building something that will leave a lasting legacy. We want this to be world-class. We hope to be the envy of many other jurisdictions when we have this complete.”

Suzanne Eade, HRI chief executive, added: “The new all-weather track is a key strategic objective for Horse Racing Ireland, providing accessible racing and training facilities for Tipperary and the south of the country. In addition, the opportunities it will create for tourism, hospitality and related services are significant, and will have a lasting positive impact on the local economy.

“It was very encouraging to see the momentum and positive engagement at the progress update. This transformative facility is moving forward with great purpose, and the enthusiasm from everyone involved reinforces how vital this second all-weather track will be for the future, sustainability and year-round growth of Irish racing.”

THE new all-weather track at Tipperary will be “world-class”, says racecourse manager Andrew Hogan.

Addressing a group of industry stakeholders, including plenty of local trainers on Tuesday, Hogan said: “We started this project, I’d say, six years ago now and there has been a lot of pain and suffering, but I really appreciate how everyone got behind it and supported it when we were on shaky ground.

“This is a proud moment for us and very exciting, This is going to be world-class. I’ve talked to a lot of people over the last six years, but there will be something that we miss and that’s why we want to cover every angle in the industry.”

He confirmed that the surface will be “new Polytrack”. Hogan said: “Reid Saunders now runs the Martin Collins company and we’re very impressed by him, especially that they design the track to suit your climate. A product that works in Newcastle might be a disaster in Dubai.

“We’re probably similar in climate to New Zealand, but I was shocked to learn that a track in Australia was designed to take 100ml of rain in an hour. “

The Tipperary surface will be silica sand, probably from Wexford, he said. It will be mixed in England with waxes, polymers, fibres, et cetera, before being tested in America and Belgium.

“Another thing we have learned is that the maintenance of the surface is critical. On our trip to Newcastle, we were blown away by their track foreman. We took away a huge amount of knowledge from him.”

Hogan said that the safety limit on the sprint and round tracks has yet to be discussed with the jockeys, but his guess is that the track could take 16 on the straight and 14 on the round.

The all-weather will have races over five and six furlongs on the straight. The round course has a sweeping home bend. Hogan said: “As far as I am aware, Belmont and Newcastle are the only other ‘all-weather’ tracks that have a bigger bend.”

LED floodlights

Tipperary will have the same LED floodlights that are used in Southwell. “This is very positive for local residents, as there is no light spill,” Hogan said. The lights will be provided by McSherry Electrical Limited, based in Mallow.

The corner of the new grandstand will be almost touching the track, “set at an angle so you can see races develop on the sprint track, giving everyone an overall view”. The parade ring is behind the stand.

“We want the racecourse to have an atmosphere, even when there are small numbers here, so when you come in through the entrance building you are straight into the stand. The weighroom will be on the ground level of the main stand.

“One thing I really like about this stand is the fact that the ground level is two metres above the track, so it doesn’t matter whether you’re at the top or the ground floor, you can see everything.

“We’re looking at how we can scale it up and down, depending on whether it’s a big day or a quiet day.”

The turf track has also been completely stripped away. “We’re redoing all of it, taking out any undulations, so we will have a better, consistent turf track as well. The intention is to have the ability to stage flat and jumps races on turf, as well as flat racing on the all-weather.”

Atlantic Golf Construction (AGC Ventures Ltd), based in Ballybunion, County Kerry are the main contractors.

“Inside that we will have a deep sand gallop, which will suit National Hunt horses who want to work on slower ground. The all-weather track will also be open for gallops every day. I think there is a shortage of gallops locally.”

The [main] Tipperary stand will be demolished in the near future. “You’ll have to bear with us until we have the new stand and parade ring done,” Hogan explained. “We’ll be using a temporary parade ring and stand when we start racing, and we’ll make them as comfortable as we can.”

Two new stable blocks are being erected and will have a capacity of 136 stables.

Hogan joked that the stableyard, pre-parade ring, parade ring and weighroom are so close “that we could nearly run races every 15 minutes!”

While racecourses are not allowed to build a stabling barn, Tipperary will have a covered area to give staff and horses as much shelter from the weather as possible.

“Something that we would love to do in the future is to put in a training centre. It can be tough for people to get into training if they don’t have a farm or gallops at home. So we’re looking at proposing to build four barns of 24, dividing them into 12 stables each, two horse walkers, two lunge rings. Basically you’d rent your 12 stables and train here. If you get bigger, you move on and set up on your own with a backer.

“We don’t want to undercut local trainers, so we need to get the balance right. I’d be delighted to get feedback on that.

“I suppose I am biased, but this is going to be a fantastic 365-day a year facility. We hope to be back racing by November 2027 and to have 31 meetings in 2028, our first full year.