Horse Racing in Dundalk

I am very fortunate that I know someone who is not only a VIP in terms of Dundalk Racing, but is also kind enough to invite me along to share her table with her on the opening of the new all weather horse racing track. I've been in Dundalk Stadium before on several occasions to watch the greyhound racing and I always looked forward to the time when the horse racing would be reinstated, and it was very exciting to be present on this long anticipated day.

We arrived early and made our way to the stadium. Another perk of travelling with a VIP is that we got free parking just outside the venue. There was a band playing just outside the stadium door. As we arrived they were playing the battle theme from Gladiator (one of my favourites). They were very good and it was nice to hear the theme being played in real life rather than being recorded. After playing such haunting dramatic music they launched into a rousing rendition of The Bare Necessities, which I found a jarring contrast.

The first ever race on the new track

We collected our tickets and made our way to the table. We had some of the best seats in the stadium, with our table right at the window on the first row, overlooking the finishing posts and a brilliant view of the track. We were also near a door which provided easy access to the stands. There were glass commemorative menus at each place, as well as embossed napkins, beautiful flowers, and balloons on every second table. We were given free commemorative badges and every table got two bottles of wine. The waiting staff were friendly and attentive and introduced themselves to us as we sat down.

Because we were early, we left our tables and wandered around the grounds looking at the track (the all weather arena seemed to be a mixture of sand and rubber, just like what Cori and J.B are used to), the parade ground and the stands. There were plenty of chip vans and ice cream stalls for the ordinary folk, as well as bouncy castles for the kids. The Dundalk FM mobile broadcasting unit was also there. There were loads of entertainers juggling fire and walking on stilts, dressed as Queen Meave and other characters from legend. There was an enormous black horse puppet being controlled by three men (one holding up the head and the other two holding the body with their ankles tied to the legs so it looked like it was walking. Very clever) and later on an Irish Wolf Hound puppet, which must have been at least 20 feet high, and was controlled by about 6 people, moved through the crowd biting people (or licking them, as I prefer to think) with its massive jaws. It was an amazing sight, and somewhat frightening, as the shaggy dog put in mind of dragons and other monsters I've read about.

The second race on the new track

The ceremony was officially opened with speeches and then the serious business of eating, and betting on the racing, began. The first race was at 2.30 and we placed bets on all eight races. We had a couple of wins but, as always happens with gambling (in my experience anyway) we left with lighter pockets than we had entered. We had a terrific view of the track and it was very exciting watching the horses streaking past the finishing posts. There were some very close finishes.

Keep off the grass!

The meal was delicious and I especially liked the touch of serving monogrammed chocolates with our coffee. There was a party and a band in the evening (I gather) but we left after the last race at about 6.30. We anticipated a long queue leaving the car park, but the traffic flow was well organised and we got out in no time.

Some momentos of the day

The last time I was at the races I was very young and I was terrified by someone dressed up as Pluto. I came away from today with far happier memories. It was a really fantastic day.