Down Royal negotiations still strained and most staff unlikely to transfer

The future of Down Royal racecourse beyond December 31 is still up in the air as negotiations over the transfer of critical equipment from the incumbent management to the incoming Merrion Property Group remain strained.

Furthermore, it has emerged almost all of the existing operations staff are unlikely to transfer to the new entity.

Under TUPE employment regulations, the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders’ staff would be entitled to retain their positions when its Dublin-based landlord Merrion, which is owned by Mike Roden, assumes control on January 1 ahead of the course’s first scheduled fixture of 2019 on January 28.