Kilcohan Park

Kilcohan Park Greyhound Stadium is a greyhound racing track and former soccer stadium located in the south of Waterford, Ireland.[1]

Kilcohan Park Greyhound Stadium
LocationOld Tramore Road, Waterford, Ireland
Coordinates52.243074°N 7.112086°W / 52.243074; -7.112086
Operated byIrish Greyhound Board
Date opened2 Nov 1930 (for football)
26 Dec 1934 (for unlicensed racing)
May 1947 (for licensed racing)
Race typegreyhound racing
Official website

Operations

Racing takes place every Friday and Saturday evening. Race distances are 325, 525, 550, 575 and 731 yards [2] and the feature event at the track is the Gain Feeds Select Stakes.[3]

The main event held at the track is the Gain Feeds Select Stakes which for many years was known as the Waterford Glass Stakes.

Facilities include a restaurant, fast food facilities, a number of bars and totalisator betting. [4]

The stadium is near Waterford city, and has a large customer car park.[5]

History

Originally built as a Soccer stadium for Waterford Football Club, opening on 2 November 1930[6] and unlicensed greyhound racing. It was owned by Mr J.McGrath and agreement was reached with Mr J.Mulhall, the president of the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) for the track to be run by them and under ICC rules in 1947. It staged its first meeting during May 1947 under ICC rules and is one of the Ireland's smallest provincial tracks but still has a circumference of 460 yards.[7]

In September 1978 a new restaurant was built by the owners the Waterford Greyhound Racing Company and overseen by Racing Manager Paddy Grant. The track managed to survive despite the large scale redundancies at the nearby Waterford Glass works in the late eighties. Waterford United Football Club remained at the stadium until 1993 and European Cup matches were held at this venue before the club moved grounds.[8]

The Irish Greyhound Board took over the venue and invested in improvements in 2002, with a major facelift throughout the stadium and on the track. In 2006 a €3.5m extension featuring a new 180-seated restaurant and bar bringing the facilities up to a very high standard.[9]

Competitions

Track records

Current [10] [11] [12]

Yards Greyhound Time Date Notes
300Montos Mark [13]15.914 November 2006
325Gingko17.193 May 2008
500Ardfert Billy26.9528 May 2005
525Droopys Curio [14]27.945 September 2020Munster Oaks Semi-Final
550Ardfert Billy29.2022 October 2005
575Jeffys Crystal30.801 November 2008
730Jemmy Doodlebeag39.9822 November 2008
790Making Merry43.2025 August 2001
815Compass Cowboy45.514 April 2009
815Group Skater45.5127 December 2008
525 hurdlesSecondrate Champ28.672 April 2005

Former

References

  1. "Greyhound Track". Tramore Tourism.
  2. "Waterford (Kilcohan Park)". Greyhound Data.
  3. "Feature Events" (PDF). Irish Greyhound Board.
  4. "Kilcohan Park". Irish Greyhound Board.
  5. "Thurles Greyhound Stadium". Irish Greyhound Board.
  6. Waterford Standard Saturday 1 November 1930 page 3
  7. Genders, Roy (1981). The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN 07207-1106-1.
  8. Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.
  9. "Kilcohan Park Greyhound Stadium, Waterford". Tom O'Brien Construction.
  10. "Track records". Greyhound Data.
  11. "Track records". Greyhound Star.
  12. "Newbridge Track records". Greyhound Star.
  13. "Gain Puppy & Sapling Open 300". Irish Greyhound Board.
  14. "Dave Collins Memorial Munster Oaks Semi-Final". Irish Greyhound Board.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.