Limerick Racecourse celebrates 21st staging of Munster National

THE upcoming renewal of the JT McNamara Ladbrokes Munster National on Sunday, October 23 will mark the 21st anniversary of the official opening of Limerick Racecourse at Greenmount Park, Patrickswell.

A massive crowd of 18,000 turned-out on that occasion back in 2001 at what was the first newly built racecourse in Ireland for over 60 years.

Racing has been a fixture in Limerick since 1790, and before the advent of Greenmount the venues were Bruff, Rathkeale, Newcastle West, Lemonfield, Ballinacurra and, of course, Greenpark where action was successfully staged for 130 years before its closure in 1999.

Limerick manager Tom Rudd – himself an Irish Grand National winning jockey – was in the winners’ enclosure on that historic afternoon all those years ago. He rode the Michael O’Brien trained ‘Regal Venture’ - an even money shot - to land a novice chase.

“To everyone involved in sport the Munster National and Limerick are part-and-parcel of the National Hunt Racing Calendar,” he commented. “Personally, I didn’t expect ever to be the manager of a racecourse, but now that I am, I am honestly thrilled to be at Limerick. We have a great staff, and everyone here is passionately looking forward to hosting the National, one of the most prized races there is in the sport.”

In 2016, the National was renamed to honour the memory of JT McNamara, the former top-class amateur from nearby Croom who suffered a life-changing injury following a fall at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival and died three years later, aged just 41.

“John Thomas was a legend of racing, riding over 600 racecourse victories, which speaks volumes of his talent as a jockey,” noted Rudd. “On the point-to-point front, he was unrivalled in his time, and at the National Hunt Punchestown Festival there were many great wins to his credit, with the likes of Spot The Difference, Risk of Thunder and On The Fringe.”

Limerick Racecourse, as ever, offers some excellent value packages for the Munster National, such as the Punter Package (€29, to include admission/race card/pint/€5 Ladbrokes bet), while Restaurant Deals (€69, including three course meal with tea/coffee in an area affording a panoramic view of the home stretch) and Private Suite from only €65 p/p are other solid options for groups of friends.

There will be music post racing with Limerick Band “Tiny Giants”.

For bookings visit www.limerickraces.ie or else call the office on 061-320000.