€520,000 upgrade for Mallow Racecourse

Cork Racecourse Mallow is set to undergo a €520,000 upgrade following the approval by Horse Racing Ireland of a capital development grant of over €200,000. The work will be carried out between now and 2018, with a series of improvements to industry and racegoers’ facilities. The main area of investment will involve upgrading and modernising the stable yard, which was built in 1996 and has had to withstand some extreme weather conditions over the years. Drainage work will be carried out, new stable doors and lighting will be provided, and rain-proofing measures will be taken. The horse box car park will also be resurfaced.

Racegoers will benefit from improvements to the main stand restaurant kitchen, which will be modernised and upgraded, adding greater self-service capacity by reconfiguring the restaurant layout. Cork Racecourse’s parade ring will have a new podium installed, along with a specifically designed disabled access platform to the centre of the parade ring from the current raised viewing gallery, which will also include edge protection rails. Other works to be carried out include new direct-access turnstiles which will facilitate the future development of online sales, allowing customers to enter the racecourse with home-printed and point-of-sale tickets. Resources will also go into fencing off the car park and providing course-wide signage. Cork’s application for grant aid in relation to track improvement works will be considered by the HRI Board as part of an overall review of trackworks later in the year.

Michael O’Neill, Manager, Cork Racecourse Mallow, said, “Our aim in carrying out this major redevelopment is to provide the best possible experience for all those who attend the 18 fixtures which we stage each year at our facility, both industry professionals and racegoers.”