How is work on Punchestown's new Flat track progressing?

It looks a lot more like a building site right now but the €5 million development of a Flat track at Punchestown is well under way and the first phase should be completed in October, according to chief executive Conor O'Neill.

The ambitious project will restore Punchestown as a fully functioning dual-purpose venue for the first time in more than 20 years. "It's all very exciting and hopefully it can keep going strongly," O'Neill said of the revamp.

If everything stays on schedule, the new track is due to be in place in 2025. It will see the nature of the course transformed and O'Neill was keen to stress the extent of the undertaking.

Looking back towards the stands at Punchestown as work continues on widening the track

"I don't think some people understand the magnitude of the operation," he said. "We're coming up four to five metres in places on the existing track, it's a hell of a lot of ground. They'll get a shock when they see it."

The opening phase involves widening the home straight by 35 metres, while phase two will be the construction of a track extension that will mean Flat races over a mile will have only one bend into the home straight. Racing on the level has returned to the Kildare venue on a limited basis since 2020, it having been exclusively a jumps circuit prior to that since 2002.

Phase one should be completed in October, with the project due for completion in 2025

"We're hoping to have the home straight done and seeded by the middle of October," O'Neill said.

"Between the two phases it's taking 1.6 million tonnes of material. We're doing a lot of the work internally, using the quarry next door, as you couldn't put these loads on the road."

A gap of six months must be left after the completion of phase one to allow for settlement of the ground and O'Neill added: "We hope to start the track extension work in late February or early March next year.

Punchestown: more a building site than a racecourse as work continues on phase one of the redevelopment

"We can do a lot of that work during our racing season. Until it comes to joining it up to the existing track, it won't affect racing as it's nowhere near our racing ground.

"Everything is going well and hopefully it'll all run on time."

A new irrigation system will also be installed and the course will have three new reservoirs with the capacity to store 90,000 litres of water.

Read these next:

Punchestown chief fears fixture changes could be 'very damaging' to festival

Jockey Club plans for new all-weather track in Newmarket progress to next stage

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.