IRELAND-THE IRISH GRAND NATIONAL IN 1929.
In 1929, the Irish Grand National was won by a six-year-old mare called Alike, owned and ridden by 5’4" Frank Wise who was missing three fingers and rode with a wooden leg.
The venue for that extraordinary triumph, Fairyhouse racecourse, has hosted some of the most well-known and best-loved horses -- both on the flat and over jumps.
Arkle, Desert Orchid, Flying Bolt, Captain Christy, Prince Regent, Persian War, L’escargot and, more recently, Istabraq, Bobbyjo, Florida Pearl and Limestone Lad are just some of the legendary greats that have graced the two-mile circuit.
With the 2009 Easter Festival fast approaching, I spoke to racecourse manager Caroline Gray about what it takes to run such a popular venue.
"Planning for the Easter Festival starts about six to eight months beforehand," she said. "But we have racing here 22 times a year.
"On non-racing days, I can honestly say that two days are never the same."
Caroline works closely with the course foreman and ground staff to make sure the racecourse conditions are in the best possible shape for racing.
"It’s on with the wellies and out in the rain and cold to inspect the track and decide what needs to be done," Caroline laughed.
"During winter it could be to try and improve the drainage, or during summer we could decide to use the watering systems if the ground is drying out too much," she explained.
The racecourse has already lost three days racing this year because of inclement weather.
"The snow affected us badly on two days, but thankfully our Easter bookings are not far behind last year," she says.
From an office point of view, Caroline’s remit covers finance and marketing, legal contracts with suppliers and the ultimate aim of increasing revenue for the Co Meath racecourse.
When it comes to finance, the manager is on firm ground because of her background in accounting. She qualified as a chartered accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dublin and joined the Irish Horseracing Authority in 2000 as an accountant.
She was later appointed group financial controller of that body, which later became known as Horse Racing Ireland (HRI).
In 2005, she took up the position as manager of the Betting Division of HRI.
"I became something of a betting guru," Caroline laughed.
However, she moved away from the strictly financial work when she was appointed general manager at the track in late 2007.
"My family had a great interest in racing and I used to be a regular at Fairyhouse before I got this job," she confessed.
"It meant that I came here with my own ideas about what could be improved. I was ’Joe Public’ here for a long time."
Caroline’s ideas were based on improving the racing experience for punters. More public seating, better menus and the ’cup of tea’ test were some of her top priorities.
Improved entrances and better drainage in the car parks were also must-do items.
She also wanted to make better use of the facilities the racecourse offered to groups outside the horse racing circle.
"We have 100ac at the centre of the racetrack, we have great parking and we are close to Dublin," she said.
Last year, Fairyhouse hosted the World Motocross Championship, which was screened by Sky Sports and watched by more than 60 million viewers worldwide.
A custom-built 2km track was erected in the centre of the horse racing track for the event.
The racecourse also hosted the Planet Love dance music festival and a 10,000-strong gathering of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in 2008.
There are many regular non-racing events such as the Fairyhouse Sunday market, where you can buy everything from a needle to an anchor.
"We are always looking for ways to create as much revenue for the racecourse as possible," explained Caroline.
The recession has already begun to hit racing revenue across the country, with pressure on attendances, sponsorship and corporate events.
"Consumer confidence affects everyone. Lots of people aren’t sure of their jobs and companies don’t want to be seen to spend too much money. But we have nine new sponsors for this year, which is great," she said.
However, corporate spending is being downsized, with companies being more selective in how much they spend and who they send to race days.
Despite this, there is every expectation that attendances at Fairyhouse will go up.
"Cheltenham got a big bounce in the week before racing and, from talking to managers there, we are expecting a lot of bookings at the last minute," she said. "People will say to themselves ’we might as well go’."
The economic downturn has already seen a fall in the number of runners on race days.
"Before, we would have filled every race, particularly the maiden hurdles, and had to ballot out 20 to 40 horses from each one," explained Caroline.
"Now, we are filling each race without too much of a surplus."
However, every cloud has a silver lining and the racecourse manager sees the falling horse numbers as natural attrition after major over-production of horses in recent years.
"It could be a way to naturally prevent too many horses being bred, it solves its own problem in a way," she said.
With funding from HRI down 10pc on last year, many racecourses have been left with reduced funding for capital investment.
"We are lucky because we already re-developed our stand, the weigh room and administration block," Caroline said.
Further investment had been planned in extra stabling, large entrances and upgrading roadways, but the fall in runner numbers means that the stabling will no longer be required and the racecourse staff will carry out as much work as possible themselves on the track’s infrastructure.
Prize money has also been reduced, but it is still higher than what’s on offer in the UK.
"Big prize money is what drove the boom in racing in Ireland. We saw the fruits of that at Cheltenham with Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins, and we see it on the flat with Ballydoyle and Jim Bolger."
"Ireland is the place to be for racing," she enthused.
So, what is the best thing about being manager of the Fairyhouse circuit?
"Seeing the people flock through the gates next week!" she laughed. "We have the highest TV audience of any race in Ireland -- double that of Punchestown, the Galway races or the Derby."
Caroline will spend most of her time during the three-day festival in the parade ring, meeting sponsors, owners, trainers, jockeys and supporters.
She will welcome the victorious runners and riders into the winner’s enclosure and work behind the scenes to make sure everything is up to scratch.
"The trainers, such as Willie Mullins and Noel Meade, are very pro-active and helpful. They might point out that the ground at some particular fence needs to be looked at."
Jockeys such as Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty are quick to approach her about the riders’ needs, such as showers and food.
Safety is the main priority at National Hunt meetings and the catastrophic effects of a fall were highlighted when Matt ’Strawberry’ O’Connor suffered serious head injuries at Thurles recently.
"Our thoughts are with him and his family," said Caroline.
"It’s a tough business and it’s definitely in the blood because if it wasn’t nobody would do what these riders do."
Meanwhile, former jockey Richard Dunwoody and current rider Ruby Walsh helped launch the Powers Whiskey Irish Grand National last week and compared war wounds.
Dunwoody said he had crushed vertebrae in his neck, dislocated his shoulder eight times and broken almost every bone in
