Irish fixture list for 2025 legislates for long-awaited Tipperary conversion to all-weather facility

Five years after being nominated as the destination of choice for Ireland's second all-weather facility, Tipperary is on the verge of having the sod turned on the project next spring with a view to opening up in the autumn of 2026.

Horse Racing Ireland published its 2025 fixture list on Friday, with few changes of note apart from the provision for all of Tipperary's 11 scheduled meetings to be reallocated should the redevelopment, which is estimated will cost around €18 million, get under way. Andrew Hogan, the manager at the Limerick Junction venue, said the project is due to be put out to tender shortly.

"I'd be very hopeful the redevelopment will happen next year and that we'll be open by October 2026, but we have to go through the planning approvals process within the public spending codes department," he said on Friday. "There is still a bit of ground to cover but we are hopeful. We've got through all of the public spending gates up to now and we've one more to go through.

"We'd be hoping to start once the ground conditions are suitable in early spring, and it would be an 18-month build."

The total number of fixtures is to remain the same as this year at 325, four of which are floating slots still to be allocated when demand dictates.

If the Tipperary revamp proceeds, Dundalk will be drafted in to take two of its Flat fixtures, with Fairyhouse, Gowran Park and Cork taking one apiece, while the Concorde Stakes from the mixed card on October 5 will go to the Curragh, which will be pushed back a day that weekend from its Saturday slot.

The two other Flat races on that card will be found temporary new homes, while the three Graded jump races will now be held at Gowran Park, which will host a two-day meeting on the Friday and Saturday of that weekend.

Listowel, Punchestown, Wexford, Limerick and Galway will take Tipperary's other jump meetings.

In December 2019, it was announced that Tipperary had been selected as the venue to emulate Dundalk's 2007 transition to an all-weather track, although it will continue to have a turf track for jump racing and schooling. A lack of funding and planning objections have delayed work on the new facility, which was initially slated to open around now had construction begun as planned last year.

However, following a protracted appeals process, after 18 months An Bord Pleanala (Ireland's national independent planning body) granted permission to proceed in January.

Once complete, the new facility is projected to gain 20 extra fixtures a year, with 25 Flat meetings on the all-weather and six being retained over jumps on the turf.

Plans include a new grandstand in phase two, with ambitions in phase three to convert Tipperary into a start-up training facility with on-site barns. Once it is open in autumn 2026, it will provide for schooling gallops on a daily basis.

Jonathan Mullin, HRI's director of racing, said: "The number of horses in training in Ireland this year remain at similar levels to 2023 and therefore it was felt prudent not to increase the number of fixtures for 2025. The fixture list process for 2025 involved consultation with a wide variety of industry stakeholders and we acknowledge their strong engagement throughout. In particular, given the need to produce a 'shadow' 2025 fixture list to accommodate the planned development of an all-weather track at Tipperary, we thank the racecourses for their considerable contributions."

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