Tramore racecourse not to blame in death of four horses
The Health and Safety Authority said its investigation into the safety of jockeys at Tramore is still ongoing.
However meetings between the Turf Club, trainers, jockeys, breeders and the racetrack management has decided the evening meeting when the animals died was a freak.
The industry inquiry said there was no common factor in the deaths and the track was not to blame.
However watering restrictions have been relaxed for future meetings at the seaside venue. It means the celebration festival can go ahead in mid August at the Waterford track. The chief executive of the Turf Club, Denis Egan, said the high number of fatalities on the night was a cause for concern and prompted an inquiry into the safety situation in Tramore.
A meeting to discuss the suitability of the Waterford facility took place in late June between the various stakeholders.
Mr Egan said the trainers and jockeys were very supportive of the track and following investigations it was determined that each death had a different cause.
And for this reason there was no reason to suggest there was a particular problem with the course.
He said it had gone over previous race records and Tramore’s fatality rate was no worse than the average for other sites around the country.
Separate to the Turf Club, the Health and Safety Authority visited Tramore and has said its inquiries are ongoing. It was not brought in on an animal welfare issue but was concerned with the safety of the jockeys who were riding the stricken horses.
A spokesman said it could not discuss the nature of its discussions with any individual workplace.
Tramore track manager Sue Phelan said the outcome of the inquiry was very positive because it found there was no common cause that may have raised safety concerns.
Ms Phelan said the last correspondence she received from the Health and Safety Authority was in late June and it did not propose any additional remedial measures.
She said as it is a seaside track the course tends to dry out quickly. Ms Phelan said for this reason the rule that prohibited the watering of grounds in the eight hours before races was not practical.
Ms Phelan said in the case of a three-hour meeting the last race could take place 11 hours after the ground was last watered and this was not ideal, compared to the situation in Britain where the ground can be softened right up until the off.
Mr Egan said the new watering regime for Tramore would benefit the track.
And she said preparations for the centenary meeting, beginning August 16, were on course and she hoped it would buck poor summer season for the area due to the chronic weather.
