John O'Donoghue T.D., Minister for Arts, Sports & Tourism, officially unveiled the new 3.5million Grandstand facility at Gowran Park yesterday afternoon, the culmination of an extensive development programme at the County Kilkenny track which includes a superb 18-hole championship golf course.
The pre-race reception was attended by several prominent members of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), who contributed to the racing side of the development including the upgrading of the stable yard and parade ring areas.
Brian Kavanagh, HRI chief executive, expressed his delight at the new facilities, 'This is the first track that has been upgraded under the HRI regime and as one can see from our recently released five-year plan, racecourses are very much a part of it. My congratulations must go to the Gowran board and everyone else involved for creating this wonderful facility.'
John O'Donoghue echoed these sentiments, 'Great credit must be given to the current board and chairman Joe Connolly, who had the foresight to invest in and develop Gowran Park into what is one of the premier leisure and tourist facilities in the South East.'
Martell National hero Monty's Pass also made a guest appearance and trainer Jimmy Mangan and Mike Futter, head of the Dee Syndicate, received special presentations to mark their marvellous Aintree feat last weekend.
The meeting itself was restricted to point-to-pointers, the first such meeting run to be run in Ireland, and it was fitting that leading hunter Joe Blake returned to winning ways in the featured Garryrichard Stud Tetratema Perpetual Cup under John Thomas McNamara.
After the 4/5 shot collared front running The Wipper over the penultimate flight to come home ten lengths clear, wining trainer Ian Ferguson, who made the five hour trip from Antrim, said, 'He was a very sick horse after finishing third to Sheltering at Leopardstown in February and he was on the easy list.'
'He was on a lot of medication and it was a slow comback but that should put him right for the Joseph O'Reilly Memorial Cup at Fairyhouse on Tuesday April 22nd '
Ferguson was also fulsome with praise for such a meeting to be staged, 'This is a great way forward for point-to-pointers and I hope it's the first of manner more.'
Paul Cashman captured the riding honours with a 19/1 double sparked off aboard Glencreen in the opener before scoring on Paddies Boy in the handicap hunters chase.
