Patrick O'Callaghan

It was quite a boost to hear that Ruby Walsh was giving strong consideration to a first appearance at Limerick Racecourse on St Stephen’s Day in 22 years, to partner Getabird in our new Grade 1 Matchbook Betting Exchange Novice Chase.

As manager of Limerick Racecourse, it is a great thrill to think that some of our top jockeys are attracted, as well as the top trainers and owners.

Willie Mullins has long been a very good supporter of the Mr Binman Christmas Racing Festival. Sir Des Champs and Bellshill are former winners of this race, as are other Grade 1 performers Outlander and Gilgamboa, which helped achieve its elevation in status.

And of course no-one will forget Faugheen’s appearance and performance at the Festival in his novice season, prior to dominating the hurdling scene.

We appreciate that support and the support of all the trainers and owners. But there is no point denying that having Ruby here would be extra special. You know the standing of a sporting icon by the fact that their Christian name is enough to identify them. Posting the article that contained Ruby’s comments about Limerick got more of a reaction than all our other promotional posts. He has huge pulling power, so that’s invaluable for us and while it mightn’t transpire, hopefully he will come and it says a lot that the major players are looking at our Grade 1 with the same importance as Grade 1s elsewhere. That is the ultimate endorsement.

Entries are very strong for the race. At present, there are 23 left standing. Four of those also have entries for Leopardstown but even if all four went there, you would still be in a strong position and with normal fall-off, hopefully we will have at least eight or 10 runners anyway.

We have worked really hard to make this race and the Festival a success. Promotional work started in June but I would have started myself in January. After the last Festival, I thought there were a couple of things we could improve on and I put things in motion to do that immediately while they were fresh in my head.

One of those improvements will be the presence of the scales for jockeys to weigh in at the parade ring on St Stephen’s Day. I had hoped to have it for all four days but the IHRB are under pressure over the Christmas period for staffing and weren’t able to facilitate that this time. Hopefully it will happen in the future.

It has a dual benefit of just opening up that side of things a little bit to the public but also taking a little bit of pressure off jockeys in terms of the rush to weigh-in after races, giving them more time to give a debrief and to talk to owners especially.

I have no doubt that there will be more notes taken this time around because you’re always looking to do better. Now we have a Grade 1 race so we have to up our game.

Having Mr Binman on board for the first time as title sponsor for the Festival is great, while each of the 28 races has a sponsor. And Matchbook coming on board for three years and willing to boost the prize fund for the Grade 1 novice chase to €100,000 was marvelous. The entries reflect the status, as does RTÉ covering the race live.

We are very happy with the ground at present and wouldn’t mind if there was no more rain. Having said that, the track will take a drop if it comes. Often this time of year the ground is heavy but we’re not at that at all yet. It’s lovely racing ground and everyone will be happy with it.

This is a real team effort at Limerick. We have a full-time staff of 10 so it’s a small but tight unit. The most recent of those to join the team has been at Greenmount Park for over eight years so there is a real attachment to the place and a real investment in it. Everything is ‘we’ here because it just means so much to us. I don’t own Limerick Racecourse, I’m the manager, but there is huge pride in the journey we have travelled. We’re not there yet but we’re going in the right direction.

We are very lucky to have an exceptional team of contractors to come in on the race day as well. Our catering is done by DCF Catering, the catering branch of the four-star Woodlands Hotel in Adare. Ryans Cleaning look after all our cleaning requirements and Frontline Security do our security. So there are an awful lot of stakeholders that come in and roll up their sleeves.

Although I come from Doneraile and have to pass either the starting or finishing steeple that marked the first ever steeplechase on my way to and from work, and John Joe Walsh, who has a great strike rate at Limerick, is a neighbour I know well, I have no racing background and had no interest in the sport until I came to Limerick.

I am an accountant by trade and was in Australia with my girlfriend and now wife for two years until things got slow. We came home but I was only picking up contract work in Cork city until the job as financial controller at Limerick came up. I went for it and got it and started in March 2010.

Not being knowledgeable about the sport and industry has proved no hindrance to me doing my job and it was a great seal of approval to be appointed manager in January 2017 when that position came up. I’m still doing the financial controller’s job with that but it’s working fine.

Russell Ferris was manager when I started and I bombarded him with questions because I didn’t know the first thing about racing, which he patiently and willingly answered. I’m learning all the time but that applies no matter what you do anyway.

It is funny how much boring stuff has to be attended to, to ensure that such an action-packed programme takes place. You’re just trying to make sure everything is right and that it’s better this year than last. I won’t rest until the gate of this place is closed on the 29th of December and at that point I might get my own Christmas for a couple of days.

We’re happy with where we’re at. Ticket sales have been extremely strong. All of our reserved hospitality is sold for St Stephen’s Day, all the corporate boxes are sold since the start of October, general admissions are moving very well online and restaurant bookings are strong too.

With all that, and the quality of racing, it looks like being four days to remember.