CLOSE to 10,000 free tickets for today’s Connolly’s Red Mills raceday at Gowran Park have been snapped up and there will be no cash taken at the turnstiles.

The ‘sold out’ signs went up following an imaginative initiative from the racecday sponsors which saw tickets given away online in four tranches.

Track manager Eddie Scally reported: “First, all our corporate packages sold out early, and then Connolly’s Red Mills came up with their idea to sponsor the gate. We had four separate releases and everything was snapped up. It shows you there is a great appetite for racing. We had a huge crowd here for Thyestes day and already the corporate hospitality is sold out for our Holden Plant Rentals day in three weeks’ time.”

Tickets for today normally cost €15 if booked in advance or €20 at the gate. Scally said: “There is no point in coming along with cash on the day. It’s ticket only. You might get one on social media from someone who cannot travel, but you should not pay any money for it.”