Sir, – The proposed €55 million investment at the Curragh falls well short of what is required. The racecourse already lags well behind Ascot, Cheltenham, Longchamps, Sha Tin and Arlington, and embarrassingly so.
The new Curragh should be a ground-breaking, all-seater facility, one that sets the standard for every racecourse on the planet, and does justice to those who labour with dedication year after year, in Irish racing and breeding.
As much as €1 billion may be needed to bring our racecourses up to a 21st-century standard. A radically upgraded Tipperary, for example, could host the autumn champions weekend, being, as it is, just down the road from Ballydoyle. Up north, either Down Royal, or Downpatrick, must be turned into the state-of-the-art racecourse Belfast deserves.
Half-hearted mediocrity doesn’t win the Gold Cup, the Prix de l’Arc, or on the weekend that’s in it, the Breeder’s Cup.
– Yours, etc,
DAVID FREELEY,
Clonard,
Co Wexford.