Leopardstown Racecourse today (Monday 23rd November) launched the 2009 Christmas Festival with a stable tour of Cheltenham Gold Cup- winning Trainer, Tom Taaffe’s yard.
The four-day Christmas Festival at Leopardstown runs from 26th to 29th of December. All the big-name National Hunt horses are expected to contest the top-class races on the card and crowds of over 50,000 are expected to attend.
Leopardstown also announced inforthenight.ie as the new sponsor of the opening day to coincide with the launch of their "inforthenight.ie" winter campaign. inforthenight.ie will be title sponsor of St. Stephen’s Day in addition to sponsoring five individual races, including the Grade 1 Novice Chase and the Grade 2 Juvenile Hurdle
Leopardstown Chief Executive Michael O Rourke said: “inforthenight.ie is a wonderful addition to our list of Christmas sponsors and fits perfectly with our popular ‘Winter Warmer’ theme. I must acknowledge the long and loyal support of Durkan’s for this meeting in the past, which has left us with a wonderful legacy of established races which provide such great sporting entertainment on the day. Our Christmas Festival promises, as always, to raise the spirits and re-unite friends from home and abroad, which is reflected in lively bookings and enquiries already.”
Leopardstown General Manager Tom Burke commented: “The Leopardstown Christmas Festival attracts many of the great National Hunt horses from home and abroad, all poised to go head- to- head in the feature attractions, including the inforthenight.ie Novice Chase the Paddy Power Chase, the Lexus Chase and the Leopardstown Golf Centre December Festival Hurdle. We are looking forward to a great Festival meeting of highly competitive racing.”
Tom Taaffe, Leading Trainer & Leopardstown Committee member: - “The Leopardstown Christmas Festival is the sporting and social highlight of the winter racing season and it’s a meeting where a lot of people like to enjoy themselves over the holiday period. It’s the ideal time of the year to get out in the fresh air and enjoy one of Ireland’s best sporting traditions.”
