EMMA Meehan, new chief executive at Down Royal, has described herself as “over the moon” with how the first six months of her tenure has gone at the racecourse.

Meehan was appointed to head a new management team at Down Royal last November, after it was announced that Merrion Property Group (MPG), who own the lands where the racecourse is situated, would not be extending a 15-year lease to the previous tenants and management team, the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders (DRCHB).

“The first six months have superseded any of our expectations, we’re over the moon,” Meehan told The Irish Field. “We walked in here at the beginning of January with no knowledge of the site and not even a code for the alarm and with that in mind, we never would have expected things to go as well as they have done.

“By January 28th we had full commercial sponsorship for our race program secured. Attendances have been good and the feedback we’ve received has been very positive.”

Last weekend’s Down Royal Summer Festival (Friday and Saturday) is traditionally one of Down Royal’s biggest meetings of the season and features the €100,000 Magners-sponsored Ulster Derby

“We had been working towards this meeting from the start and we were delighted with how it went. We had an attendance of 8,000 across both days which is an increase on the year before and the few changes we made, were well received.

“We put in a new information area to help customers find their way around the course and the guys were inundated all day.

“We also took up an opportunity to utilise an area of the racecourse that we had recognised is underutilised and create a new self contained area, which in turn helped to spread the crowd and create extra space.”

Down Royal still faces a challenge with regard to its funding. Previously, a Horse Racing Fund put in place by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) was used to aid the operation of both racecourses in the north. With regard to Down Royal, this was paid directly to the DRCHB.

Under this legislation, MPG are not eligible to apply for the fund, as this would require legislative change by the Northern Assembly which is currently in limbo.

“We knew this was always the challenge when we moved in,” Meehan explained. “I think it helped to bolster us to go out and find new sponsors as we knew there was a deficit there that needed to be paid.

“We’re still in contact with DAERA and have made our case. The hope is that the HRF will come back and then we’ll be in a good position.”

The next signature meeting for Down Royal is in November, the Down Royal Festival of Racing, which for many, kicks off the National Hunt season proper in Ireland. The Grade 1 chase at the meeting needs a new sponsor, which Meehan says will be announced soon.