Seasonal Review 2015
Tipperary Review 2015
There is a big year ahead for us all at Tipperary as we celebrate our centenary, but looking back, we could not be happier with how 2015 went. The racecourse has come a long way in recent times and we were delighted to continue our program of improvements over the past 12 months.
We have installed a new ambulance roadway which was fully completed during the summer and there are a number of current projects that will be finished by the end of 2016. A full refurbishment of the Istabraq Bar is to begin in the New Year and will be completed by June and at the same time we will unveil our redevelopment of the parade ring area which will include a new podium in the winners’ circle. Our weigh room, which caters for Turf Club stewards and officials, members of the press and jockeys, will be refurbished by the end of 2016 while new wash bays have already been installed in the stable yard.
On the track in 2015, the biggest winner was the Lady O’Reilly-owned Sovereign Debt who took the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Home Of Champions Concorde Stakes under Declan McDonogh at our Super Sunday meeting in October. The winner is trained in Britain by David Nicholls and another winner to come from the other side of the Irish Sea was the Paul Midgley-trained Monsieur Joe who landed the Listed Kilfrush Stud Abergwaun Stakes in August with Joseph O'Brien in the saddle.
Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen enjoyed another fine season and they combined to take the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Fairybridge Stakes for the second successive year with Prince Khalid Abdullah’s fine filly, Tested. Ger Lyons and Colin Keane took the Listed Coolmore Canford Cliffs Stakes with the Sean Jones-owned Waipu Cove and Keane also partnered Promised Money who came out on top in a thrilling renewal of the Listed Excelebration Tipperary Stakes for trainer Eddie Lynam.
Fittingly, Aidan O'Brien landed the Grade 2 Istabraq Hurdle with the Mark Walsh-ridden Plinth who was carrying the colours of owner JP McManus. The Grade 3 Kevin McManus Bookmaker Grimes Hurdle was won by Diakali, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Ruby Walsh. The pair also secured the Grade 3 Delores Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle with the hugely promising Bachasson while Walsh partnered Gordon Elliott’s The Game Changer to success in the Grade 3 Like-A-Butterfly Novice Chase.
Numerically, Aidan O'Brien was the leading trainer at Tipperary in 2015 with eight winners, including Waterloo Bridge who won his maiden at the course in early June and won the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot just two weeks later. Jim Bolger and Willie McCreery enjoyed six successes each while Willie Mullins, Henry de Bromhead and Dermot Weld each sent out five winners.
Tipperary Racecourse’s annual Ladies Day, sponsored by Kumari-Doyle Fine Jewels, took place on Saturday, July 11th and our celebrity judge Nadia Forde was thrilled with the level of competition. She selected Breda Butler, a secondary school teacher from Kilcommon in Thurles, as the Best Dressed Lady. Breda received a Kumari-Doyle pendant valued at €2800 and €500 cash while the nine runners-up each received a €100 voucher for Kumari-Doyle and a pair of tickets for Longines Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown and the Curragh in September.
There are a number of projects in the pipeline as we celebrate our centenary year in 2016. A 12-metre long tunnel will be created with the history of Tipperary Racecourse depicted on the walls through pictures and stories. This display will be ready for action for our first meeting of the year on Tuesday, April 12th and will be added to as the year progresses.
Our feature meetings in 2016 include the annual Point-to-Point meeting on Thursday, May 12th, Ladies Day on Saturday, July 9th and our Family Day a week later on Sunday, July 17th. Our Traders Day and music night will take place in August and one of the highlights of the year will be the Centenary Ball on the eve of Super Sunday in October.