THE real beating heart of Irish racing, and a shining light on the Irish racecourse scene. These were just two of the compliments paid to Ballinrobe racecourse on Thursday night by Horse Racing Ireland’s chief executive Brian Kavanagh.

A large crowd gathered at the Co Mayo venue for the launch of the 2016 racing season, with representatives of most of the bodies associated with racing in Ireland present. What had drawn them to one of Ireland’s most westerly racecourses?