Ireland's racing academy has a magnificent legacy - now it needs proper support at its time of crisis

This should be a momentous and celebratory year for Ireland's Racing Academy & Centre of Education. In the 50 years since its humble beginning in 1973, Race has conferred enormous benefits on a host of individuals and on the Irish racing and breeding industries generally.

How sad, then, that this jewel of Irish racing is in crisis, forced to suspend its residential operations recently because of concerns over the safety of buildings at its Kildare home.

Information about the precise nature of the problems has been sketchy. Horse Racing Ireland has stressed that all day-to-day functions of the training academy continue as normal. That is welcome reassurance, but it is still a matter of grave concern that residential facilities have been assessed as unsafe.