Racegoers make merry on first day of Leopardstown festival

Some 16,954 punters attended the first day of the Leopardstown Christmas Festival on Tuesday.

Jessie O’Neill (21) from South Dublin was there with three of her friends, and though she “hadn’t really won anything”, she said with a laugh, it was “nice to get dressed up and have a day out over the Christmas period”.

“It’s much more about the day out and the atmosphere. Everyone’s just having a bit of fun, drinking pints and having the chats between the races,” she said.

The temperature was forecast to be 6 degrees, but strong winds made it feel much colder. Outdoors, some punters were watching the races, queuing at hot food stands and smoking cigarettes, but the indoor bars on site were bustling with crowds who had opted to stay warm and watch from the screens instead.

A group of three friends, all aged 18, were attending for the first time this year, each dressed in suits and ties. Ciaran O’Donoghue said the day was “great craic”, with plenty of of live entertainment, and although the weather was cold, the group were “happy out” as they had expected it to rain on their outfits.

The first race of the day, the TRI Equestrian Maiden Hurdle, saw the Edward O’Grady-trained No Flies On Him make a debut on the track following success at Knockanard point-to-point. Trainer Gordon Elliott took home wins in both of Tuesday’s big races, the Mercedes-Benz South Dublin Juvenile Hurdle and the Racing Post Novice Chase.

Up to 60,000 race fans are expected at Leopardstown over the coming days. The festival runs until December 29th.

Leopardstown this year hosted the final renewal of its traditional St Stephen’s Day feature race, the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase.

Horse Racing Ireland, the semi-State ruling body that owns Leopardstown, is finalising plans to reduce the number of Grade 1 jumps races next season in an effort to improve competition for the most prestigious prizes in its calendar.

Rather than demote the race to a lower status, Leopardstown Racecourse’s chief executive Tim Husbands said last week that it has been scrapped entirely.

He also indicated efforts will be made in the new year to examine switching one of the six other Grade 1 races during Leopardstown’s Christmas festival to St Stephen’s Day in 2024.

Mr Husbands said St Stephen’s Day was a “great start to the Christmas Festival with a really big crowd enjoying some really high-quality racing”.

This year, Leopardstown partnered with Alone, the national charity providing services to older people in need, with a number of “tap to donate” locations throughout the enclosure and QR codes in the race cards.

The action continues on Wednesday with Paddy Power Day featuring two Grade 1 races on the card, the Paddy Power Rewards Club Chase and the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle.

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