Sold-out hospitality for Leopardstown Christmas festival as attendances on track to match last year's meeting

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Healthy attendances are expected for Leopardstown's Christmas festival with early sales tracking close to last year's total and hospitality sold out across the four days.

A total of 62,748 spectators attended last year's meeting, a small increase on the year before, and Paul Dermody, chief executive of Irish racecourses, is looking forward to another strong week.

“Hospitality is sold out and we're pretty much on par with where we were last year,” Dermody said. “We welcomed around 60,000 people across the four days last year and we're on track to be around that number again, which is great.

“We’re really looking forward to it, and we know from discussions with clerk of the course Lorcan Wyer he couldn’t be happier with where things are at, so we're not too sad to see all this rain.”

Henry de Bromhead opened the doors of his Knockeen yard to the press on Thursday to promote the upcoming festive period, and during the course of the morning, he good-naturedly requested the Leopardstown watering can was spared, as his runners have a preference for better ground. 

“It wasn’t a complaint, it was more a shot across the bows,” Dermody laughed. “After inviting us down there, he is allowed to. 

“We know the racing will be very strong and one couldn’t have left Henry’s without picking up on the positivity he had for July Flower, who may run on day one of the festival, along with Romeo Coolio and Salvator Mundi.

“There is some understandable excitement around the Savills Chase on day three as well with Galopin Des Champs. Anybody who was at Leopardstown to witness the reception Galopin got last season will never forget it. He's one that everybody is looking to see.”

Galopin Des Champs and Paul Townend after winning last year's Savills Chase at LeopardstownCredit: Patrick McCann

The increased 'festivalisation' of meetings has become a notable trend in Ireland and is one which Dermody believes allows courses to differentiate key fixtures in a crowded calendar.

“If you put it in context that there are almost 400 fixture days in Ireland, every day can’t be a big day,” he said. “But every course has the ability to make something special of one particular race at the right time of year. 

“That could be the Midlands Grand National at Kilbeggan, or it could be the Fairyhouse winter festival, or the Navan racing festival. There is an opportunity to build an event around the racing. 

“If you look at the racing festival two weeks ago, there was significant investment in entertainment, food and fashion. Rachael Blackmore and Paul Townend were signing autographs, Meath GAA were there. 

"That creates a halo effect with the people in the clubs asking, ‘Are you going to the winter festival?’. One thousand people came from Meath GAA, out of an attendance of 6,000. That's a huge number, so you have that attraction you wouldn’t necessarily get if it weren’t a festival."

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