THE future of racing at Down Royal was clouded in uncertainty on Wednesday afternoon when the racecourse management issued a statement to say that it would "close operations" at the end of this year and was seeking a new site for racing.

Within minutes a spokesperson for the land owners, Merrion Property Group, told The Irish Field that it was "very much the intention" of the group to install new management and continue running the racecourse at the current venue in 2019.