Launch of tipperary racecourse 2015 season at david marnanes yard

 
 
Tipperary Racecourse launched its 2015 season at a visit toTrainer David Marnane&rsquo;s yard in Bansha,&nbsp; this morning.Tipperary will stage 12 fixtures this season with four nationalhunt, four flat and four mixed cards and prize-money of over&euro;1.25m on offer.<br><br>The feature races over jumps include the Grade 3 Kevin McManusBookmakers Grimes Hurdle (&euro;62,500), the Grade 2 IstabraqHurdle (&euro;52,500), the Grade 3 Like A Butterfly NoviceSteeplechase (&euro;30,000) and the Grade 3 Dolores PurcellMemorial Novice Hurdle (&euro;30,000).<br><br>On the flat, the feature races this season are three Listed races,the Excelebration Tipperary Stakes (&euro;42,500), the KilfrushStud Abergwaun Stakes (&euro;50,000) and the Coolmore Stud CanfordCliffs Stakes (&euro;50,000), along with the Group 3 Coolmore StudFairy Bridge Stakes (&euro;65,000) and Coolmore Stud Home OfChampions Concorde Stakes.<br><br>At this morning&rsquo;s launch, some of David Marnane&rsquo;sstable stars were paraded and cantered on the gallops includingElleval, Jamesie and Almadaa. Racing presenter Kevin O'Ryan alsohosted a Q&amp;A with David Marnane and spoke to TipperaryRacecourse Manager Andrew Hogan about his plans for the season,which kicks off on April 9th and runs until October 6th.<br><br><strong>Tipperary Manager, Andrew Hogan</strong> said: &ldquo;Weare delighted to launch Tipperary&rsquo;s 2015 season at DavidMarnane&rsquo;s today. We have 12 exciting days of racing featuringno less than six Graded races and three Listed races throughout theseason. This year we&rsquo;ve been given the opportunity to host anew jumps fixture on April 17th, which is a great opportunity forTipperary as it allows us to kick off our jumps season a monthearlier.<br><br>&ldquo;With family days, ladies&rsquo; days and plenty of qualityentertainment, Tipperary Racecourse remains at the heart of thelocal community and we would like to take this opportunity to thankall our sponsors and customers for their continued support and lookforward to an exciting season ahead.&rdquo;<br><br>Some of the most popular days of Tipperary&rsquo;s season includethe summer and autumn ladies&rsquo; days with full details ofjudges and sponsors to be announced soon. Other highlights includethe BBQ Series, a point-to-point evening and a Summer Sunday FamilyDay on July 19th, which will be preceded by a GoRacing Kids Clubday in association with local schools. The season will come to aclose with a Student Raceday on October 6th, which will targetstudents from nearby colleges and universities.