Dundalk facing 'big challenge' from soaring energy costs on eve of winter series

Ireland's racecourses are preparing for a tough winter due to the massive rise in energy costs and none is likely to be impacted as much as Dundalk.

The country's only all-weather venue returns for its autumn run on Friday and racing will take place every Friday evening under floodlights until December, with the winter championship series resuming on November 9 after the turf season concludes three days earlier.

There will also be seven Wednesday afternoon meetings before the track's 2022 finale in an evening slot on Wednesday, December 21. The County Louth facility will also host a greyhound card every Friday after racing and also on Saturdays.

Given its reliance on lighting and heating, Dundalk is a track that will inevitably bear the brunt of the hike in energy prices, and chief executive Jim Martin says it will have a considerable effect on the course's running costs.

"It's going to be a big challenge, no question," he said. "Obviously we can't operate without floodlights and heat.

"I think the energy cost will trump everything. That's in a different league at the moment. What's happening is astronomical for everyone, but for a business like ours it's a considerable expense that we couldn't have envisaged."

Racecourse attendances across Ireland dropped by 8.8 per cent in the first half of 2022, and Martin accepts getting people through the turnstiles is another big issue.

"It's a challenge but there are a lot of courses in the same boat and we're looking forward to getting racing back," he said.

The Irish government is working on a support package for businesses to tackle the rise in energy costs, but no details are likely to be announced before the budget on September 27.

Martin added: "We went through the last two winter series with Covid, and now we're going into this. If we can survive that, we can get through this as well hopefully."

Friday evening's card is a typically busy eight-race spread, with Aidan O'Brien and Wayne Lordan combining for three runners, including the juvenile maidens Congo River and Popstar. They will also be represented by Gulliver's Travels, a full-brother to Magic Wand, in the featured €18,000 conditions race.

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