HRI announce additional fixtures Horse Racing Ireland has allocated six additional fixtures on a one-off basis for 2015 to provide opportunities at times when there is the greatest demand from the horse population. Tipperary - Friday 17th April (NH) Wexford - Tuesday 21th April (NH) Navan - Saturday 30th May (Flat) Cork - Thursday 24th September (Flat) Curragh - Tuesday 13th October (Flat) Gowran Park - Tuesday 20th October (Flat) The above 6 fixtures are all afternoon meetings. In addition to the above the following changes to existing fixtures have been agreed: The Tramore Meeting on Saturday 30th May will now be an evening National Hunt fixture Downpatrick on Monday 13th July will now be on Tuesday 14th July Clonmel on Thursday 3rd September is now a National Hunt Meeting (formerly mixed) Navan on Saturday 5th September is now a Flat Meeting (formerly National Hunt) Naas on Sunday 18th October is now a Flat Meeting (formerly mixed) Announcing these additional fixtures and the changes of date/code to existing fixtures, Jason Morris, Director of Racing, commented: "The HRI Fixtures Committee has identified appropriate slots in April/May for National Hunt and September/October for the Flat, when field sizes are expected to be higher than the current Irish average of 11 runners per race. "Approximately half the Irish racecourses applied for these additional meetings and the ones selected were those offering the greatest variety of race distances and highest safety limits, whilst also taking into account the ability of the tracks to accommodate additional meetings based on their existing fixture allocations. "HRI is particularly pleased to be providing additional Flat races at a number of high-class turf courses (the Curragh, Cork, Gowran Park, Naas and Navan) towards the end of the flat season in September and October, as this has been a specific request of the Trainers Association."
