Dundalk Stadium has received ‘a highly satisfactory’ report on the condition of its all-weather horseracing track at Racecourse Road following an expert inspection carried out by one of the world’s leading authorities on artificial all-weather horseracing tracks.
The inspection, which takes place annually, was completed on Thursday April 18th, last by Berkshire-based Martin Collins Enterprises Limited, under the personal hand of the company’s managing director, Martin Collins.
The post-inspection report produced by Martin Collins confirms that, in its present condition, the Dundalk track is ‘both safe and consistent’, adding that ‘maintenance continues to be carried out in accordance with our guidelines’.
Though 12 years old, the report notes that the track still has ‘elasticity’.
As was the case in 2015 Martin Collins recommends that fibre be added to the surface this summer as part of the track’s annual maintenance.
FREQUENCY OF USE
In a personal comment accompanying the report, Martin Collins said: ‘I am constantly visiting different all weather racecourses around the world and Dundalk continues to be one of the most consistent tracks that I see for its age’.
Mindful that frequency of use is an additional factor that can have a direct bearing on track condition, Martin Collins expressed himself ‘surprised’ that Dundalk would encounter any criticism.
In this regard, Collins claims that Dundalk remains one of the lesser-used, all-weather racecourses, quoting figures showing that - while it has raced approximately 400 times in 12 years - the tapeta track at Wolverhampton has raced 400 times in 5 years and Kempton has raced over 1,000 times in 13 years.
Tenders have been invited for the installation of the replacement track and in line with the expert advice available to Dundalk the intention is to complete its installation in May/June 2020.