Harolds Cross Closure

What ever happened to that Glaswegian CID guy who used to run the show? At one point he was reputedly showing HRI how it was done.

I gather someone spent 20m spondoolicks on a project in Limerick and it wasn't for the regeneration of South Hill.

I   had many a good night at H/X Monarch,     This little bit on the news on the 13feb      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6GL7eifyow

Dick O'Sullivan now of Horse Racing Ireland fame and his crew overspent on a stadium and head office in Limerick. I'm trying to be polite.
Wage bill too high and Harolds Cross is sacrificed, total sham.

Great stadium, profitable, nice people who will not fit into shelbourne. Many Harold Cross regulars will leave the game for good. Sad day.

THE uk had over 60greyhound tracks over 50years ago, i doubt if it has a half of that number now.

I think they have 22 or something, mostly low grade tracks, better schooling tracks in Ireland than most of them. Then again the UK is run by the PC brigade. If we are not careful we could go that way.

Feb 16, 2017 -- 2:21PM, frank60 wrote:

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dunno what i pressed there !! Was just goin to ask the question how they got themselves into such a hole financially. Surely as a semi state body has to answer to some committee or committees during the year. And if the financial strife is stretching back to when the "new" Limerick was built how was it not spotted or corrected before now. Although i do know the HX sale has been mentioned for a year or so.

Where Limerick racecourse is situated is retardational, the people of Patrickswell have nothing to do with it really; and I'd say the people of Adare regard it as beneath them! completely soulless. They took the coin there and I wouldn't support the place, ever. I used to live near the old course and it was great for the city back then apparently, pubs on the south Circular Road, the Crescent and O'Connell Avenue packed at Christmas with racegoers, great atmosphere. Fcuk them, Limerick racecourse does nothing for the people of Limerick.

Where the new dog track was put, out the Dock Road, among a load of small industrial estates, is bang there with the stupidest happenings I've ever seen.

If you wanted to create something too big, with huge outgoings, on credit, with no atmosphere, that would never draw money and nothing to draw someone there; if someone set out with that in mind, they couldn't have done a better job.

The tracks in Limerick were shiny new statement pieces for their respective industries, but were bad for horse and dog racing in Limerick long-term.

Neill,sad to read the last line, no doubt true, I trained a few winners at both the old H.X.and the new H.X. Pitiful what they let happen, as Monarch says surely someone has to account for the financial mess.

I knew the racecourse was out of the city, jst realising how much out of the city it is. Just under a half hour in normal traffic from Thomond bridge.

I think that's too far Rocket, to me it is anyway, suppose you could go into Adare after but its a lot of hassle from town I think in you are in a group of people.

Terrible, Workrider; that a track like that has to go because of a project in Limerick that anyone could have told them was doomed from the outset.

If you're going racing with people, Leopardstown is the spot I think. Think the Irish Champions meeting on the saturday evening and the Hennessey day last weekend aree the two best days to go racing in Ireland.

Gowran look to have done a great job with the Thyestes meeting. Ballinrobe is supposed to be nice as well but I've never been there.

The friday of the Listowel Harvest Festival is my favourite day's racing of the year. Massive crowds and very easy to get back and from town over the bridge. Great atmosphere there the whole week and the racing isn't bad either. If the ground is soft enough, you might get one or two decent winter horses out early.

Ballinrobe is a lovely place to go racing. It might not have the 5 star dining facilities that dj568 and his cronies are used to but they try hard.
Most of the lads that complain about racecourse food bring a packed lunch in the boot.

These financial **** ups happen when you have a person with no interest in the sport calling the shots, his horse racing buddies on the other hand got a good deal.

Love Listowel myself. Sadly due to various reasons didnt get to travel down the last 2 years but always love the buzz down there. Never been to Galway festival and unless i have the misfortune of ever having a leg in a runner down there don't think i'll make an appearance. Heard some good stories about the meeting but more horror stories.

Sad to see Harold's Cross under threat.
Having said that its crazy to give in to whoever is threatening strike action,cancelling racing in Shelbourne Park is madness.
Going greyhound racing is habitual,if its not on anywhere you break the habit,will those racegoers return when they deign to race again.

The Limerick racecourse saga was as good a fast one as you could see.
The company that owned Greenpark racecourse sold it for building,guffed the profit but then got the HRI to build them a brand new racecourse in Patrickswell

All owners, breeders and trainers are behind the strike action. New board and CEO needed.
Wildman....The old boys club that you champion needs to be smashed here also. It's the first time I have seen the greyhound community united, usually some take the few pieces of silver that is dangled.

My comments were more general with regards Shelbourne Park not racing.

I attended mid week dog racing years with crowds of ten thousand,its unremittingly sad the way things have gone.

they are saying they need to sell hx to keep the whole industry going.but isnt it just postponing the inevitable?  the limerick fiasco is  just another nail in the coffin.  im close enough to it but i was never there.im told its a soulless place.if you tried a ton at 6/4 they would faint with shock i hear!!  i attended the old stadium in markets field a lot back in the 80s/90s  good crowds and vibrant betting.

The limerick fiasco has caused the massive debt and the lads involved just walked away. Properly run, the sport would prosper once again.

i dunno would it gant..the tv and live sport has everything fcuked..a choice for most young men of the couch and man u in europa cup live or a night at the dogs ?

Having said that Kavvie, the restaurants in these stadiums all full of young people having a fun night out .Wildmanfromborneo made a very valid point re it been a sport that once left its hard to get those punters back.From a personal point of view that is fully correct,having bred, trained,owned , sponsored races, I had a run in with a offical over something petty and stopped going to HX for years. I stopped breeding dogs and got out of the game completely, I rarely attend greyhound meeting now. If it can happen to me it can happen to anyone.

People leave all sports for their own reasons but Harolds Cross was doing well and had plenty of dogs in the pool.
Kavvie.....Your point is excellent.

The appointment of Dr Sean Brady should send shivers up the spines of greyhound lovers.

The wonks is right about one thing, you can quite easily get used to not going to the dogs and when you stop going then you never ever will go back. Another thing is that bad bookies killed the dogs and the same thing is happening to the horses, particularly with regards to the point to points.
Someone else said with wall to wall sport almost every night , then the lure of going greyhound racing in the freezing cold and maybe driving rain, well that doesn't overly appeal. How right they were too, you can see that they cannot keep a track alive in London nowadays, so basically the game is completely finished. Greyhound racing is dying on its feet and no matter who takes over the reins, it won't matter one jot.

Lets hope your wrong Mincer with your last 2 lines , One of my fav sporting events is the Irish Greyhound Derby, im surprised that  premier fantasy hasn,t come on board with his say on a subject which is near to his heart.

Frank, I was talking to a few bookies at Navan on Sun,they were saying all's not lost re HX just yet.

Glad to hear that W/R

i argued exactly the point that mincer makes with several bookies over a few  pints  10/15 years ago.big punting crowds attending limerick and galway.but the bookies got shortsighted.  i argued you cant go evs 5/4 and 2/1 the other 4.  they said punters were punters..they would always want a bet.the same punters are now on couches with smart fones having a bet if they are still betting at decent odds.  you can cod people for a while but they will cop on eventually.  the worst i seen recently was one of our more famous bookies in clonmel after 1 round of the oaks and derby giving prices on doubles involving the more fancied runners....32 left in each stake 5/1 favs in both  .6 of the doubles were 16/1  about another 4 were 20/1  .i glad to say i didnt see him lay a bet.dick turpin was only trotting after him..!!

The only positive thing from this thread is that Mincer11 is usually wrong, let's hope it stays that way.

The CEO'S job is about to be advertised.

Clearly Gant is a comrade of wonks, I hadn't taken any notice of the chap before now but I must keep an eye on his contributions from now on.
I know he's some class of an imbecile but I'm not totally sure to what degree

Mince, Gant is a dog man, he knows what whats happening unlike yourself,Gant has taken me to task many a time on here,maybe you were away having treatment at the time.

Mincer11.....My posts are quite boring, I will leave you to provide the comedy.

Workrider.....He's probably a harmless chap behind that aggressive keyboard.He seems to hate the outdoor life such as greyhound racing and point to points, probably has the Irish Field brought to him every Saturday.

Guys a head banger alright Gant, check any of his posts from day one, not one contains a modicum of positivity,though a few on here seem to think hes okay,makes you wonder eh?.

All isn't lost alright wonks, they just took away the traps the other day and have now already dug up the track . Maybe they can stage racing with no traps and you have to run up on top of diggers.