Dublin, Ireland – Portmarnock Raceway, featuring its richest harness racing stakes season ever, a new covered grandstand, teletimer/photo finish system, and other special improvements, opens its 2015 race meet Saturday, April 18.
Ireland’s top harness racing track gets underway with first race post time at 4:00 pm, the facility opens at 1:00 pm with its renovated bar/restaurant.
The trotters own the limelight for the opening program with three divisions for all grades. The top class, the A/B French-bred Open has seven starters headed by Recklin Pelerin, Secret de Star and Rocky Atout, the A Class highsteppers, who must start at a handicap of ten yards each. They go against B Class Silvana Bello, Tornao Josslyn, Socrate Du Noyer and Rohen en Thirons.
“The track is in super order and we are really looking forward to tomorrow's stepping stone meeting,” said track committeemanr Derek Delaney. “It's a small start to what's to be a massive season for stakes racing In Ireland.”
With opening day, the track will debut its renovated bar/restaurant, new covered grandstand, new permanent teletimer/photo finish and children’s playground area.
The racetrack has also been redone with the track purchase of a new grader and horsemen have said it has never been in better shape for racing.
This season Portmarnock is hosting the first ever Sire Stakes Ireland Series in additional to the prestigious Vincent Delaney Memorial, the richest stakes race in all of Ireland and the UK. Other major stakes include the Oakwood Stud, the Paul Mirtagh Memorial, the Irish American Open, The Painted Mile (for colored horses), plus the Barney Joyce Memorial and the inaugural Red John Memorial.
For the first time Portmarnock is featuring simulcasting in the bar/restaurant of live horse racing and some of the major football (soccer) matches in the UK/Ireland.
“With Ireland's first ever Sire Stakes program,” Delaney added, the Vincent Delaney Memorial, Oakwood Stud Open plus other major stakes including the Le Trot Series with 130 races to take place at Portmarnock, our prize money this season will be the richest ever.
“We cannot wait to get this bumper season underway,” Delaney said. “We really want to show off our new facility in what is going to be a record attendance and race season in 2015.”
Parking is free, children are admitted free and the cost for admission to the races is €10. The new restaurant/bar opens at 1:00 pm and first race post time is 4:00 pm. For more information go to www.portmarnockraceway.ie.
By Steve Wolf
