With three weeks to go to the opening meeting at Thurles Racecourse on October 9, plans for the management of the racecourse have been announced by HRI and the Molony Family.
In July, the Molony Family, owners of Thurles Racecourse, announced their retirement from racing and the immediate closure of their track.
Following a period of close consultation between horse racing’s leadership and the Molony Family, all parties have worked to find a solution to keep the track operating for the 2025/26 season, while respecting the family’s decision to retire from management and operations.
An agreement, announced on August 28 between Thurles Race Company and HRI, will see Peter Roe oversee the management of Thurles Racecourse as part of his brief as Head of Racing of the four HRI Racecourses, with Tipperary-based Jessica Cahalan of Laytown Races contracted by the family to handle operations. Jessica will be the point of contact for Thurles Racecourse for the duration of the agreement, October 2025 to March 2026.
“We are delighted to fund and support this short-term solution, which allows us to step back from the management of the racecourse while assigned fixtures can be fulfilled and racing can continue at our track,” said Riona Molony.
“We are grateful to all parties involved, particularly Suzanne Eade and her team at Horse Racing Ireland, for supporting us to ensure the right people are in place to make it possible. This is a great result for Irish racing, and I’m delighted to hand over to Peter and Jessica to take things from here.”
“We would like to acknowledge the support of the Molony family in facilitating the continuation of racing at Thurles until they have determined their longer-term plans for the racecourse,” added Suzanne Eade, CEO of Horse Racing Ireland.
“Thurles has long been fundamental to the winter racing schedule, and with the support of the wider industry, we hope that this can continue.”
“I would also like to thank the management and staff of HRI Racecourses for their support in enabling the operations of Thurles Racecourse to continue in the short term.”
Image Credit Horse Racing Ireland
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