Thurles Replacement?

G

Guest_

At the Start
Joined
May 2, 2003
Messages
14,178
Location
Ireland
What are the chances of this getting the go ahead...



Threat to Thurles from plan for new racecourse

By Tony O'Hehir7.05PM 27 OCT 2009
THURLES racecourse is likely to close if ambitious plans for a new racecourse on its doorstep are given the go-ahead.
A group of private developers yesterday unveiled plans for a €460 million cultural, sporting and leisure complex to be built on an 800-acre site close to Two-Mile Borris, a village in County Tipperary just four miles from Thurles racecourse.
Aidan O’Brien was among those to welcome the plans, which include Flat and jumps turf tracks and Ireland’s second all-weather circuit after Dundalk.
But doubts remain over whether the proposed development, the brainchild of Dublin-based businessman Richard Quirke, will be granted planning permission and a casino gaming licence.
If the project is given the green light, it is anticipated that building work will take three years to complete.
It appears talks have taken place already with the owners of the family-run Thurles racecourse, with a view to the track closing once the new facility is up and running.
Thurles racecourse manager Pierce Molony said on Tuesday: “We’ve been in discussion with Richard Quirke for some time about transferring our fixtures to him.
"It’s a huge project, but we’re co-operating and encouraging Richard in every way.”
The complex would also include a 500-room luxury hotel, casino, greyhound track and golf course.
The news will be a shock to many in Irish racing, as Thurles is renowned for being able to race in the winter months, when many other tracks are unable to do so, and stages major races such as the Kinloch Brae Chase and Michael Purcell Memorial Hurdle.
Amid the apparent uncertainty over the future of Thurles, Horse Racing Ireland has lent its support to Quirke’s scheme.
HRI chief executive Brian Kavanagh said: “We are impressed with their ambition and look forward to working with them on the racing aspects of the development.”
Architect Brian O’Connell said: “The new racecourse has been modelled on Leopardstown and it will be better than Thurles because it is designed to be better. It will be self-draining and will be an unfloodable course.”
O’Brien added his support to the project, saying: “We’ve all seen how difficult it has been to race in this country this year and this will bring all the jumping and Flat people together.
"It’s a mind-blowing project and I don’t think it could have come at a more opportune time.”
Johnny Murtagh, O’Brien’s stable jockey, was equally enthusiastic.
“It’s brilliant,” he said. “We have the best horses, the best trainers and the best jockeys in the world and hopefully Tipperary will have one of the best racetracks in the world in time.”
The centrepiece of the complex is a reproduction of the White House, as it stood in itsoriginal form in 1829, and will be known as the Hoban Memorial in homage to architect James Hoban, who designed the original and was born near the site of the new racecourse.
 
Racecourse plans of Rosanna Davison boyfriend Wesley’s dad Richard Quirke

Posted in News by Neil Michael on March 1, 2009
SHE has been a race course regular for a few years now but if her boyfriend’s father gets his way, Rosanna Davison’s time on the turf will have not been in vain.
Slot-machine tycoon Richard Quirke, whose son Wesley has been dating the former Miss World for two years, is said to be planning to build a course on a farm in Co. Tipperary.
He is also said to be planning a casino on the 207-acre Noard House site, outside Two-Mile- Borris, which he bought just over two years ago for €8.2m.
Despite the downturn, he is allegedly keen to snap up properties on land adjoining his. The plan will boost jobs and investment in the area.
The former garda who boosted his fortune from his Dublin gaming arcade, Dr Quirkey’s Good Time Emporium, is said to be developing the racecourse plan as a long-term project.
He is financing it from part of the proceeds of the estimated e30m he made from selling the former one-acre Carlton Cinema site in Dublin.
The accounts for his Dublin pool and juke box firm listed property worth more than e6m and income for himself and wife Ann of just under €3m.
However, Mr Quirke may also be eligible for public funding.
Since the establishment of the Horse And Greyhound Racing Fund in 2001, the Government has committed itself to the development of the horseracing industry.
The 2007 National Development Plan allowed for the provision of e70m to go toward helping finance new racecourses.
When asked about Mr Quirke’s plans, Noard House’s previous owner, Richard O’Connell, said he would ‘prefer not to discuss it’.
A neighbour, Jimmy Moriarty, said: ‘I haven’t been asked but I wouldn’t move, even if he offered me e2m, because this is my home and has been since 1955.
‘If he built a 10ft wall around my property to keep horses off it, I wouldn’t object to him applying to have a racecourse on his land.’
John Cantwell, another neighbour, said: ‘If he did offer, I would consider it and maybe retire to the village but this is my homeland, so I would have to think about it.’
Click to expand...

I wouldn't think there's much chance of a casino licence.
 
Sounds like a vechicle to get people to put money into slots rather than doing anything for Irish racing.
 
Galileo said:
"It will be self-draining and will be an unfloodable course.”
Click to expand...

Sorry but that's what they said about the "new" Cork before they spent €10m on it. I'm not sure what's wrong with Thurles. It does its job very well. It's a track for industry days in the main and it can take a horrendous amount of abuse during the winter and suits the soft ground winter types. A new "unfloodable" track is likely to produce good ground even during the winter and it will be a lost opportunity for genuine soft ground horses.
 
The thought of Mallow being unfloodable is laughable. Good points Cantoris. Thurles has awful facilties but Id go racing there at the drop of a hat.
 
This development needs to be built a lot closer to me....

On a serious note lads, myself and Hezz were at Dundalk a fortnight back, lovely evening for racing, good card, and there was hardly a soul at it to be honest. Dont know how it keeps going. They need to sort out the issue with their bookmakers too, not many of them would lay too big of a bet. The Restaurant seems to be doing ok, but i dont think they have too many people paying at the gate to go racing.
 
I would guess Dundalk will have a few cards sponsered by the big bookmakers this year. I wonder why they decided to race on Nov 7th.
 
I know they get a nice few quid from ATR for each meeting they show, but im sure they need a lot more paying patrons.
 
del boy said:
On a serious note lads, myself and Hezz were at Kempton a fortnight back, bloody cold evening for racing, crapcard, and there was hardly a soul at it to be honest. Dont know how it keeps going. They need to sort out the issue with their bookmakers too, not many of them would lay much of a bet at all, and all to prices smaller than currently trading on Betfair. The Restaurant is always bloody empty, but i know they don't have hardly any people paying at the gate to go racing.
Click to expand...

There ye go - and ye moan about Dundalk!!!!! :p :D
 
I don't know if it was the same night but I was at Dundalk a couple of weeks ago too. It was a really mild, dry night but the place was deserted. Before most of the races there was barely a dozen people around the parade ring, and there was a right decent card that night. ( A listed 2yo race among them)

They are getting a lot of group bookings, but most of this crowd never leave the restaurant/bar so while they are profitable, they are not really into the racing itself.
 
Last edited:
Actually, in all seriousness, Kempton have well and truly lost the plot at the moment. The lastest MO is to close off 3/4 of the course to the public; the last few AW meetings the ground floor has been shut off completely and only half of the first floor (comprising one bar, a BaldyFred shop and one small counter selling dodgy looking hog roasts [that have been sitting there for God only knows how long], a few mouldy looking steak and kidney pies, crisps and muffins) being open to the public. Oh, but there's always the restaurant, with the new "bargain" bistro menu having been introduced whereby prices start at £37 for admission, a folded bit of paper pretending to be a racecard, and a two course meal [that's probably been warmed up having been left over from the last two meetings]. No catering vans either so your only chance of buying something half edible for less than £37 is to go to the BP garage next door. At least it's got an M&S shop!

Rumour has it that at the forthcoming twilight meeting on Saturday, nothing will be open to the public, although they 'might' sort out something to be open in the corporate boxes past the winning post. It's a joke; Great Leighs was slagged off incessantly for it's 'lack of facilities' including availability of food, yet for the last three Kempton meetings I've been to there has been the square root of feck all remotely edible available to buy.

What I want to know is, do they want to stage racemeetings or not? If they can't be arsed to open 3/4 of the track to the public, why should they be allowed to stage the fixture in the first place? Every point to point I've been to has had more facilities available, for God's sake!
 
Last edited:
A thread about rural Ireland ends up being conquered by a debate on the United Kingdon. Has this ever happened before
 
Sceptical with a large SKEP. Are the Banks really going to finance another huge developement of pie in the sky.Is this cash strapped State ? How is this place going to make money.Another golf course and another empty 5 star Hotel ! People aren't exactly mad to have a gamble at the moment, maybe this fellow is just mad, full stop.
 
When they say that the new course will be "modelled on Leopardstown" does that mean they will keep an uphill finish, or will it be a dead-flat track, which makes it totally devoid of character and no kind of test?

The ominous part of that article is the "sporting complex" bit, which suggests a huge, flat arena for all sports. Why not just model it on an American track and have done?

It also suggests that racing will not be the focus of the venue as a dedicated racecourse such as Thurles would be. From what many of you are saying, a lot of the smaller meetings at present are beginning to go the way of UK racing, with much of the public attention being distracted by other sports/leisure activities, and this sounds as though this is what is being created for.

Didn't Krizon on another thread describe her vision of racing's future as being a load of people in the bars playing the fruit machines whilst the racing goes on unheeded outside?

Sounds horrendous. Hope it never happens. Problem is that the Thurles executive sound quite co-operative and ready to roll over.

Shadow's description of Kempton's midweek meetings sounds as though the executive are looking for an excuse to shut up shop and sell for building land.
 
Last edited:
Sheikh said:
Sceptical with a large SKEP. Are the Banks really going to finance another huge developement of pie in the sky.Is this cash strapped State ? How is this place going to make money.Another golf course and another empty 5 star Hotel ! People aren't exactly mad to have a gamble at the moment, maybe this fellow is just mad, full stop.
Click to expand...

I think he has secured the funding already - it is matter of getting the planning permission and the slot machine rights etc.
 
Galileo said:
I think he has secured the funding already - it is matter of getting the planning permission and the slot machine rights etc.
Click to expand...

Who are the people who have the €460 million. Sounds like a lot of bluffing. Hri are right behind it "just don't ask us for cash". Thurles are right behind it "show me the money" The Government are behind it too "don't evem mention cash" Even the farmers are getting in on it " I'm not moving for anything.....cash you say, I'll get my coat".

No , the only reason this isn't going to go ahead is because of planning permission :blink::rolleyes:

by the way my scepticism isn't directed at you........
 
Lowry is 100% arse.

What on earth are O'Brien and Murtagh doing getting mixed up with him?
 
Back
Top