Keeping summer tracks racing through the winter could prove a valuable lifeline

Downpatrick, Kilbeggan and Sligo brought the curtain down on 2020 this month – and Lord knows we’d all like to do the same – but is there not an argument to be made for keeping some of these summer tracks in operation the whole year round?

Take Downpatrick as an example. You will be hard pressed to find a more improved racecourse in Ireland.

While the place resembles a rollercoaster, Downpatrick always produces top-notch ground, something Noel Meade highlighted after sending out a treble there this month.