Another major horse race is to switch to a Saturday evening time slot following the success of recent time shifting including at the Punchestown Festival and the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby.
The Gain Horse Feeds Irish St Leger at the Curragh, the final classic of the season and a major international trial for the prestigious Melbourne Cup will take place at 6.05pm on Saturday, September 15th.
The move is aimed at heightening the profile of the race.  “Following discussions with our sponsors and RTE, we feel that moving the feature races to a later time will ensure we maximise the opportunity to boost attendance, television coverage and the profile of what is undoubtedly one of our best racing days of the season, said Curragh general manager Paul Hensey.
“It is our aim to make this day a success for everyone, added Mary Delaney, sales manager for Gain Horse Feeds. “Moving Gain Horse Feeds Irish St Leger day to a later starting time will accommodate a wider customer base travelling from all over Ireland.”
Vintage Crop and Media Puzzle, both previous runners in the race who went on to international success in the Emirates Melbourne Cup Emirates Melbourne Cup will parade before the race and there will be a chance for two race goers to win a flights, accommodation and tickets to this year’s event in Australia.
The shifting of traditional times and days of sporting events is often resisted but has proven successful when looking to draw a new audience or avoid clashes with other sports.
The Epsom derby was one of the first, moving from Wednesday to Saturday in 1995, while major games in soccer, rugby and GAA have seen their traditional times changed to suit competition structures and TV requirements.  None have suffered as a result and in many cases there has been a significant lift in viewing numbers, sponsorship value and TV rights income.
This weekend Greyhound Racing will take place on Sunday at four tracks around the country, breaking again with a long tradtion of Sunday as a day when Greyhound tracks remained closed.
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