Irish Champions Weekend tracks eyeing crowd boost through change in regulations

Officials at the Longines Irish Champions Weekend host tracks are exploring the possibility of allowing fully vaccinated people indoors at next month's two-day showpiece, with Leopardstown optimistic about hosting up to 5,000 spectators if granted permission from the government.

Negotiations are ongoing between Horse Racing Ireland and government officials and while neither Leopardstown nor the Curragh are certain as to how many racegoers can be hosted on September 11 and 12, a partial adaptation of current indoor dining regulations appears to be under consideration.

Larger attendances at other sporting venues have left Leopardstown chief executive Tim Husbands optimistic about the potential for increased crowds next month, while Curragh boss Pat Keogh has ambitions of exceeding the 1,000-strong crowd permitted for the government's Irish Derby day pilot on June 26. When Irish Champions Weekend was last held in front of a crowd in 2019, there were a total of 23,508 spectators across the two days.