Marnane among the trainers welcoming new all-weather track at Tipperary

David Marnane is thrilled at the news approval has been granted by the Irish government for a new all-weather track to be built at Tipperary.

Horse Racing Ireland were given the news by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD.

Tipperary will become the second all-weather track in Ireland following on from Dundalk, with work due to commence in 2026 as the hosting of a full fixture list for the 2027-28 term is the aim.

Marnane, a Group-winning trainer who is based in Tipperary himself, said: “It is very, very welcome news. I’m absolutely thrilled that it’s going ahead.

“It will be great for southern-based trainers, it’ll be good for Ireland and good for the game in general.

“It will provide so many opportunities for a lot of horses, particularly those better ground horses who go out to Australia, America and Hong Kong.

“It’ll be great for the area and for jobs, we were very much hoping this day would come and though it has taken a bit longer than we thought it would, it’s great they’ve got the green light from Martin Heydon.

“The demand is definitely there, we’re just about the wettest country in the world and we only had one all-weather track!

“We’ve had some top horses running at Dundalk, Dubai winners and Royal Ascot winners, the demand is there for both tracks and it’s great to have another one.

“On a personal level we have had a lot of success at Dundalk, but Tipperary is literally up the road. It’s five minutes from here, so hopefully it will create a lot of opportunities for us and we’ll be able to grow the business.”

Ado McGuinness is one of the most successful trainers at Dundalk with close to 200 winners at the track.

He said: “It’s great for the people in the area, it’s great for the trainers in the locality and it’s great for Irish racing to have a second all-weather track.

“Hopefully it will be very successful, we don’t know if it’s going to be floodlit yet but I’m sure it will be in time.

“It’s very central to a lot of people in the country. It will be very handy for all the trainers around the Curragh.”

Speaking on the announcement, Minister Heydon said: “I am delighted to announce that my department has approved the development of a new all-weather track at Tipperary racecourse.

“The project, which forms a central initiative within Horse Racing Ireland’s current strategic plan, will support the future growth and continued success of the horse racing industry in Ireland.”

Suzanne Eade, HRI CEO, said: “Today represents a very significant and welcome milestone in bringing to fruition the development of a second Irish all-weather track at Tipperary racecourse.

“This vital project will create a huge economic stimulus for Tipperary, both town and county, creating jobs, supporting local businesses and driving tourism. It will also provide a major boost to racing throughout the south of the country, providing accessible racing and training facilities, with 60 per cent of trainers based within a 90-minute journey of the track.

“Tipperary as a county is at the very heart of Irish racing and the all-weather track development at Tipperary racecourse will further cement this position, delivering long-term benefits for our key, global-leading rural industry.”