The Curragh Racecourse opens its gates on Friday for the first of eighteen race days this season and a first glimpse at how the redevelopment of the track is coming along.
Sport for Business was down in Kildare yesterday for a tour of the progress and racegoers will find that this second year of racing through the build is a totally different one to last year.
There is a strong visual sense now of how the track will be upon completion in time for the 2019 racing season.
The parade ring area and unsaddling boxes have been completed and the main grandstand is now visible in terms of where it will be and the scale it will provide.
What will be the main entrance building and Racing Museum wil be in use for the first time this weekend as well as a mix of temporary viewing and spectator facilities.
The Queen’s Room pictured above has been restored to it’s former glory and relocated as a stand alone feature close to the parade ring having been moved and reassembled brick by brick from its previous location. It will serve as a very impressive room at which race winners will be welcomed back to from this Friday.
“Construction of the new multi purpose state of the art grandstand is on schedule to be fully completed by the end of the year,” said CEO Derek McGrath yesterday.
“We are building up to provide a racing experience that will be a match for anywhere in the world, combining modernity with tradition and providing the levels of welcome, service and facility that a global audience as well as local racegoers will truly appreciate.
There will be locally provided catering available at the Curragh throughout this year, including offerings from Silkem Thomas and Hartes in Kildare Town.
The operation of the temporary facilities is being managed again this year by Eoin Conroy and the team at Titan Experience. It is some undertaking but will be doen well throughout the tattersalls sponsored Guineas Festival this month then at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby and the Champions Weekend which will lead into the final stages of development to be completed at Christmas time ready for 2019.
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Image Credit: Billy Stickland, Inpho Photography
