Dublin Racing Festival a Winner with Record Crowd

The idea of the Dublin Racing Festival was to present the best of the best in racing and to attract a young, urban audience that might have come for the idea of a ‘day out’ but who will leave having experienced their first taste of racing excitement. Job Done.

The sun shone, which is important for any sporting event and the crowds came. Over the course of Saturday and Sunday, 26,474 came to the track, an increase of 2,218 over last year in this the third year of the Festival.

Betting turnover was up by even more with popular winners giving people more money in their pockets to try again.

Tote turnover was up €60,423 an increase of 20 per cent while the amount wagered with the bookmakers rose by 15 per cent to €1,917,531.

Paddy Power as new sponsors of the Paddy power Gold cup had run a smart and heavyweight campaign encouraging folk to leave January and the Kale shakes behind them and took over the Green Line Luas to raise awareness of the two days. Saturday morning’s Irish Times sports supplement had a banner ad on the front page urging readers to swap Rugby for Racing.

The win of Faugheen in the Flogas Novice Chase on Sunday was one that was cheered by crowds eight deep around the winner’s enclosure and with the heart reserved for a real People’s champion.

It really could not have gone much better and the authorities will be very satisfied with next year’s renewal avoiding a clash with the Guinness Six Nations for the first time and so adding another element of potential sporting fans into the mix.

“It has been an incredible weekend,” said Leopardstown CEO Tim Husbands yesterday as the cars began to stream away.

“The racing was extremely competitive and top quality which created a fantastic atmosphere. I would like to thank all the trainers, owners and our partners for contributing to this, the support of everyone is key to the success of this weekend.”

“The performance of this weekend has reinforced the importance of Dublin Racing Festival in the calendar for the industry and racegoers alike.”

The Festival was filled with business leaders, Dublin GAA footballers and peaky blinders lookalikes, every one of them enjoying the atmosphere. The hope is that those who came and saw will now be conquered by the thrill of great racing and be back for more.