Champions Weekend still needs to strive for wider appeal
Alan Sweetman on why more has to be done to attract a non-racing audience
Since its inception two years ago Irish Champions Weekend has established itself as the most significant event in Irish racing in an international context.
The concept gathered several of the season's most significant Group 1 races under the umbrella of a two-day fixture at Leopardstown and the Curragh, backed by strong supporting contests comprising a mix of Pattern races and valuable handicaps. The event is geared towards attracting top horses from abroad to give Irish racing an occasion on a similar scale to Arc weekend in France and Ascot's British Champions Day.
Tradition, by its nature, involves an accumulation of experience. There is only so much that can be done through advertising, marketing and promotion. The Irish Champions Weekend got off to a bright start in 2014 and built on those foundations last year. The racing has been first-class, even if the 'international' aspect had an exclusively Anglo-Irish dimension in the first two years.
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