Is Thurles Racecourse's Reopening a True Solution or Just a Delay?

The temporary reopening of Thurles racecourse raises more questions than answers.

That is the view of irishracing.com’s Irish Angle team, reacting to the news last week that HRI have stepped in so Thurles can remain open until at least March 2026.

Riona Molony announced on August 1st the surprise closure of the Tipperary track, the only privately-owned course in Ireland.

However, news came last week that Thurles will remain operational until March 2026 while a longer-term plan is considered.

Long-term Future Still Unclear

“It's been saved but it might be a patient who's gotten a reprieve but long-term there's still a lot of questions to ask,” Johnny Ward said on the Irish Angle.

“I'm of the understanding that some racecourses in Ireland will be under financial pressure over the next few years and I wasn't expecting Thurles to be among them but the waters ahead are choppy.

“What HRI has done here I think is probably somewhat complex conversations with the Molony family.

“You can imagine that since Pierce passed away, he was such a big figure in Thurles that it has been difficult for the family in light of what's happened this year.

“Thurles issued a brief statement, but we were still subject to speculation as to why something like this would happen.

“Without a proper interview with the Molony’s we're still speculating.”

Myriad Factors Behind Initial Decision

The racing world was shocked in February of this year when Michael O’Sullivan died after suffering injuries following a fall at Thurles racecourse.

And Johnny Ward suggested the trauma associated with the incident may have played a role in the Molony family’s early decision.

He explained: “I'm speculating that I feel what happened to Michael O'Sullivan was just something that was so devastating for everyone at Thurles that really added to everything else and made it very difficult for them to keep going as a racecourse.

“But other than that, the lack of ability to to school horses there with the climate crisis induced droughts that we've had in winter would have hit the racecourse hard.

“Obviously it needs so much money to revamp the facilities, but the watering system is a big factor.

“I would see this as HRI buying a bit of time really and parking the long-term issues for the time being, having a watering system meeting per meeting that it gets by.

“I know the IHRB is bringing in these rules and guidelines for racecourses to improve their watering systems.

“Racecourses are feeling a little bit of pressure from the IHRB, but I would argue the IHRB is doing its job here. It's asking for minimum standards in terms of safety and watering.

“Thurles really was failing in that regard. Obviously there were meetings called off and the jockeys were very, very unhappy with a lack of a watering system in place for jumps horses.

“I don’t think Thurles in the interim will have any massive changes, but they'll have to get the watering right.”

Questions Remain Over Watering System

irishracing.com editor Vincent Finegan explained that the situation at Thurles does not match with the IRHB’s new framework for racecourses.

He said: “Watering is a big element of that and it's a priority for the health and safety of all the participants, horses and the jockeys as well, obviously

“Following the tragic death of Michael O’Sullivan earlier in the year at Thurles, about a month later the IHRB came out with a review of that whole incident.

“In that they came out with some pointers of things that should be done going forward for all racecourses but there was a specific one for Thurles and it was the prioritisation of a watering system.

“It just seems odd to me because, I feel, that has to be some part of the reason why Thurles announced they were closing the track — the fact they couldn't afford to put in a watering system or didn't want to put in a watering system for whatever reason.

“So therefore they decided as a part of that and whatever other reasons that they were going to close the track.

“Now we've HRI moving in and they're going to open it without the watering system. I find this really odd.

“I don't see where the absolute priority for that has been put to the back burner for now because we're just going to carry on.

“You're talking 11 race meetings. That's 77 races if they run seven races a day. It could be even more than that. Probably about 800 horses are going to race there and we haven't got a watering system which we're told by the IRHB is a priority, it should be there. I find it odd.

“I’d imagine that HRI won't leave any stone unturned to make sure that they get the best ground they can here for these 11 fixtures but I could also see several of those fixtures being cancelled.”

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