Roscommon Races gears up for meeting next week

A total of €100,000 in prize money is up for grabs at Roscommon’s next flat fixture which takes place next Monday, May 23, with the first race off at 4.25pm.

Despite a few early downpours at Roscommon's first fixture of the season, there was a fine crowd in attendance, with many familiar faces back – some for the first time in two years.

"I think there is a real appetite for people to get back attending and watching live sport," explained Racecourse Manager Michael Finneran.

"It was great to see so many familiar faces at our first fixture and hopefully they and many more, will be back here next Monday. It is an evening fixture and all the main yards in the country will be well represented, which is great for racing in Roscommon," he continued.

"The track coped very well with the early morning rain here last week, and the jockeys who rode here the last day, were highly complimentary of the racing surface and the way the track was presented."

Kevin Manning rode a double and Joseph O’Brien saddled two winners, while local man Paul Flynn - who trains just outside Ballymahon - won the competitive seven-furlong handicap with his recent acquisition Timourid.

The winner was partnered to victory by Luke McAteer and Flynn said: "I don’t have him that long, but he ran very well for us at Leopardstown. The lads who own him would love to go to Galway with him in July. He seemed to appreciate the ease in the ground there (in Roscommon) and he’s likely to get that at Galway.

"He wasn’t an expensive horse, and he could be a great fun horse for us for the summer, but Galway is the plan at the moment."

The European Breeders Fund is the main sponsor next Monday and the feature is the valuable fillies' handicap.

Admission tickets and 'Ros Special' tickets can be purchased online at www.roscommonracecourse.ie and there is a 10% discount on admission tickets online. Cash and card payments are accepted at the gate.

For more details on tickets, race day activities, special offers and all things happening at Roscommon Races, you can log on to www.roscommonracecourse.ie or follow @RoscommonRaces on Twitter.