OpinionDavid Jennings
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Thurles must join the 21st century - and serious investment is needed if we're to pull off the full rescue act

Our deputy Ireland editor has his say on the racecourse which has been making headlines of late

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Deputy Ireland editor
Clouds in the sky at Thurles - the heartbeat of Irish jump racing
Thurles: Horse Racing Ireland have secured a temporary takeover of the track until MarchCredit: Lorraine O'Sullivan (racingpost.com/photos)

You never know what you've got until it's gone, eh? It turns out Thurles means a hell of a lot more to us than we ever thought it did. 

Sir AP McCoy hailed it one of his "favourite tracks in Ireland"; Ruby Walsh described the racecourse as "wonderful"; his father Ted labelled it a "lovely little track"; Willie Mullins said it would be "an absolute travesty to lose"; prominent politician Michael Lowry branded it a "treasure in the sport of horseracing"; and Davy Russell called the track "the cornerstone of jump racing in Ireland and part of who we are".

So, if that's the case, we must fight tooth and nail to keep it and the first round of that fight was won on Thursday when Horse Racing Ireland's proposal for a temporary takeover of the track was accepted by the Molony family. It's a start, but it's not the end of the saga.

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Published on inDavid Jennings

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