Clonmel Racecourse
Clonmel Racecourse sits in the beautiful wooded area of Powerstown Park which is located in the town of Clonmel in County Tipperary, Ireland. The horse racing venue hosts Flat and National Hunt racing of which there are 12 meetings each year. Its racing calendar is particularly busy during the autumn and winter months when it features primarily jump fixtures. The November Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase, which covers a distance of two miles and four furlongs, is a highly favoured event. The track layout rises and falls over a distance of 1.25 miles, is right-handed and has a difficult uphill finish.
Clonmel Racecourse has been active for at least a century and a half. Sheltered in the Suir River Valley between the Comeragh Mountains and Slievenamon, the course is especially scenic during the winter and attracts many visitors from Limerick, Killarney and Cork as well as locals. Clonmel Racecourse welcomes around 30,000 racegoers every year with the largest recorded crowd attendance reaching 5,900.
Throughout the mid-19th century, visitors were able to enjoy the races free of charge. Gradually, Clonmel Racecourse evolved into a commercial venue as owner Villiers Morton Jackson enclosed the park and initiated a public admission fee of two shillings. He commissioned a grandstand for their patronage and even employed detectives to deter pickpockets and criminal opportunists. The Clonmel Racecourse Supporters Club was founded in 1987. Today, it has more than 300 members, whose main objective is to promote horse racing through sponsorship and to ensure a high quality race day experience that benefits the local community. In 1992, the three-mile Morris Oil Chase was initiated but was later reduced in distance, rescheduled to November and renamed the Clonmel Oil Chase after a change of sponsorship. Throughout history, many important jumpers have won the Clonmel Oil Chase Grade 2 National Hunt race including Dorans Pride, Beef or Salmon and War of Attrition.
Clonmel Racecourse underwent major refurbishments in 2009. The Club Stand is now big enough to accommodate 1,000 racegoers and the Grand Stand can now hold up to 3,500 spectators. Often there are more than 120 horses running in a single meet, usually consisting of six or seven races.
Clonmel Racecourse usually charges an entrance fee of around £15, which also applies to Clonmel Oil Race Day and Sundays. Tickets are available on the door or can be bought in advance online. Bulk purchases often qualify for a discount, as do student and senior citizens tickets upon presentation of the relevant ID. Admission is free for children under the age of 14 years old. The annual fee to join become a member of the Supporters Club is currently £90 and membership includes admission to all of Clonmel Racecourse’s racing events and includes full use of the Clubroom and viewing balcony, where free tea and coffee is served.
A day at the races can be very enjoyable at Clonmel Racecourse. The property offers a number of bars such as the T.A. Morris Bar which is located underneath the main grandstand, the Club Stand Bar, which as a glass front providing spectacular viewing, and the Supporters Club Bar with its balcony overlooking the winning post. An Irish company known takes care of the catering.