If both sides don't come to an agreement, we are looking at a nuclear scenario

This is a bit out of the blue – did anyone see it coming?

Maybe those closest to the track knew, but even the racing authorities have been taken aback by the sudden nature of the confirmation the track could close for racing at the end of the year. The Land Tribunal was thought to be ongoing and was not expected to finish its deliberations until next month.

Why was it at a tribunal in the first place?

The current 15-year lease is due to expire on December 31 and the land owner, Mike Roden’s Merrion Property Group, had moved to evict the Down Royal Corporation of Horse Breeders, a not-for-profit group that has existed since 1685 and overseen racing at this venue since 1789. Merrion was understood to have convinced the tribunal of its bona fides to run the racecourse as a going concern and the corporation withdrew from the process.

Mike Roden: his Merrion property group owns the racecourse land

Will the existing management transfer to the new operating company?

That could be the critical question. If a solution can be brokered between both sides, it would be the best prospect of a seamless transition, but there is a real possibility that the existing senior personnel won’t transfer.

What happens if they don’t come to an agreement?

That feels like a nuclear scenario. If they don’t, and if there is a protracted dispute about fixtures and fittings such as fences and railings, you are looking at a start-from-scratch scenario. If the new operating company has to begin in terms of convening a management team as well, it is going to take time to get back racing there after December 31.

Does that mean the 12 fixtures in 2019 could be lost?

Probably not lost, but they could end up being reallocated to other venues if all the licensing requirements are not met in a timely fashion.

Given that Merrion is a property group, might the track at Down Royal end up being redeveloped for that purpose?

That’s anyone’s guess at this stage. With the corporation at the helm, the objective was always clear. Once a commercial property entity assumes control, that certainty is lost.

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