Inside Track: Spoilsport Amy gets racing called off

Dundalk Stadium is the country’s only all-weather track, where horses run on sand. It stages more meetings in a year than any of the country’s other 19 venues, and its surface is renowned for its safety.

Being all-weather, however, doesn’t mean that racing can’t fall foul of, well, the weather. A number of years ago, a heavy mist left the Stewards with no alternative but to call off the meeting.

READ NEXT: Inside Track: Some things we could do without in the sporting arena

The same happened last Friday night – but for a different reason – when a seven-race card went by the wayside. Well, not by the wayside, only postponed – it has been rescheduled for this evening (Tuesday).

There are seven races on the card, the Star Appeal Stakes and the Legacy Stakes the features. Aidan O’Brien has runners in both.

Storm Amy was at its height when Friday’s meeting was called off. The horses for the first race paraded, but were then returned to the stables. When there was no ease in the high winds and heavy rain, the decision was taken call a halt and reconvene this evening.

Three of the races are sponsored by Bar One Racing. That’s how it will be for the remaining of the season, the Dundalk-headquartered bookmaker firm taking on the role as the track’s headline sponsor.

As part of the sponsorship, Bar One Racing will have the naming rights across all fixtures over the season, on-course branding in key locations, and a strong digital presence across the stadium’s media coverage.

The firm, headed by Barney O’Hare, has had a long association with greyhound and horse racing in Dundalk.

It was underwriter of the International for a time at the old greyhound track on the Ramparts, and since the move to the present location, the firm’s name has been attached to the Irish Sprint Cup, one of the features on the Irish calendar.

Lisa O’Connor, Sales and Marketing manager at the stadium, said that Bar One Racing’s support is a huge vote of confidence in the track.