Punchestown announces course development plans for 2020

Punchestown has announced development plans to upgrade the track, which would include widening the home straight and extending a 650m chute on the turn out of the back straight.

An application for planning permission will be lodged shortly, and if planning is granted it is proposed that work on the development will begin after the 2020 Punchestown festival.

The widening of the home straight by about 35m would mean Punchestown hosts all meetings on the outer track, rather than use the 'inside' straight, which is currently deployed at mid-winter fixtures to minimise use of the festival ground in advance of the spring flagship meeting.

The widening exercise would allow the extension of the ambulance road around the entire circuit and provide an opportunity to expand the capacity of the reservoir in front of the main straight, which would yield almost a tenfold increase in water storage capacity.

Racecourse officials also plan to review and invest in a long-term irrigation system.

The 650m extension of the course at the end of the back straight would facilitate a wider range of race distances and start locations than on the existing layout.

The track's chief executive Conor O’Neill said: "Punchestown is more than just a racecourse. It's an enterprise that creates and sustains employment.

"The festival generates around €60 million for the local economy but, very importantly, it's also an amenity for the people of the area.

"The future viability of the racecourse will be safeguarded with the implementation of this development and now is the time to make it happen."

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