Saturday and Sunday, November 15th and 16th, will see the third edition of the Navan Racing Festival, a two-day jump racing meeting which is once again expected to attract top-class horses and huge crowds.

Last year saw a big increase in attendance with an extra 1,010 people through the gates across the two days, bringing the total attendance to 9,325. Next weekend looks set to be every bit as good with ticket sales going very strongly and ahead of last year’s sales at this stage.

The weights for the featured Bar One Racing Troytown Handicap Chase were released on Monday. Local trainers Gordon Elliott, Gavin Cromwell, Ian Donoghue, John McConnell and Noel Meade all visited the racecourse on Wednesday for a special gallops morning where they spoke to media and racegoers about their running plans for the big weekend.

The free shuttle bus scheme operating between Navan town and the track will again be in operation during the weekend. The service will start at 10am, departing from The Ardboyne Hotel and Fairgreen.

In an effort to make the town central to the Festival, Navan Racecourse has worked with a number of local bars, businesses and community groups and locals who are once again getting behind the the two-day meeting. It is hoped that a bigger attendance at the track will lead to increased footfall in the town centre.

Local support

The racecourse team has also been busy promoting the Festival in recent weeks with marketing campaigns, honing in on racing, social and local audiences. Just this week the track invited Raceday TV presenter Frankie Foster over to experience the best of Meath and visit the stables of Gavin Cromwell and Gordon Elliott to build excitement across their digital channels.

The Treo Eile Parade on Sunday will feature Gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo, along with Raz De Maree, Linkenholt and Easy Game.

Entertainment across the weekend has a real local feel. Saturday will see rising stars Out On Bale headlining the Festival Marquee. The band has a growing following in Meath and beyond.

On Sunday, The Sandmen will take to the stage. Another extremely popular local band, they headlined at Navan Racing Festival last year and also played at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival in the spring.

The bands will begin playing immediately after the last race.

Before racing each day racegoers will be treated to a Bar One Racing Preview Panel of familiar faces in the Marquee. MCs across the weekend in the parade ring will be Brendan McArdle and David Jennings.

The Bellinter House by Ardán Collective Style competition takes place on Saturday, which is new to the Festival this year. Presenter and TV personality Glenda Gilson will be on hand to pick the winners, based on elegance, creativity and seasonal flair. The theme of the competition is ‘Elevate Your Winter Style’. Registration for the competition open from 11am and close at 1.15pm. The finalists will be brought to the parade ring for 1.45pm when the winner will be chosen.

There will be additional facilities, food units and covered areas at the Festival next weekend. All hospitality is sold out for the weekend, with an additional hospitality marquee added this year due to the high levels of demand.

The racecourse encourages racegoers to buy their general admission tickets in advance at just €20 online.

Web: navanracecourse.ie

TOP mare Brighterdaysahead is in line to make her chasing debut at the Navan Racing Festival.

Gordon Elliott’s runner produced one of the standout performances of last season when winning at Leopardstown over Christmas by 30 lengths, with State Man toiling in her wake.

She failed to reproduce that level in two subsequent outings but will now get the chance to show what she can do over the larger obstacles, which connections have always insisted would be her best discipline.

She has two options over the two days of the Festival but at this stage the shorter Pat Shiels Memorial Irish EBF Beginners Chase on the second afternoon looks more likely.

“Brighterdaysahead and Wingmen will be split up in the novice chases between the two-mile-one and the two and a half,” said Elliott’s assistant Lisa O’Neill.

“I hope the season is exciting for her, I saw her schooling over fences last week and she was very, very good. We saw what she was capable of last season, I know it petered out and didn’t finish the way we wanted it to but she’s in good form and has strengthened up.

“I think she might start off over two-mile-one, but we’ll factor in ground and opposition. You know beginners chases at Navan are always going to be strong, though.”

Huge Troytown team

The Troytown meeting is always one Elliott likes to target and he will send a huge team over the two days.

“Over the two days we might have approximately 40 to 45 runners. Gordon loves Navan,” said O’Neill, speaking a gallops morning to promote the meeting.