SANDRACER.COM - Dundalk All Weather Horse Racing Racetrack Nearly Finished

Dundalk All Weather Horse Racing & Greyhounds Stadium

Dundalk Stadium is the home of the first horse racing all-weather track in Ireland. The greyhounds will run at the same venue on a track that runs inside the 10 furlong floodlit all-weather track. The €35m polytrack surface built by Martin Collins is nearing completion and the racing fixtures have been already announced.

Dundalk Racing will begin in 3 days time, on a Sunday afternoon (August 26, 2007). The first Dundalk all-weather evening meeting comes a month later on Thursday 27th September. There will then be two runs of five consecutive Friday evening meetings: from 28th September to 26th October and from 9th November to 7th December (outside the turf season). The one-week gap avoids a clash with the Down Royal Festival on Friday 2nd November.

Based on the east coast of Ireland between Dublin and Belfast, the €35m Dundalk All-Weather Development was born, when the Dundalk town's seperate horse and dog tracks pooled their resources.

Jim Martin, Dundalk's chief executive, said: "With Polytrack replacing dirt surfaces at racecourses across America, the opportunity to open Ireland's first floodlit all-weather track could not be missed.

"We are working flat out to complete the job in time for our opening meeting on 26 August."