Horse Racing Ireland recently announced the cancellation of the two-day event scheduled for next week at Kilbeggan. Instead, a meeting will occur at Wexford on the evening of April 25th, followed by another the next day at Downpatrick. The change came about upon request from the Kilbeggan Racecourse Committee following the unexpected demise of Paddy Dunican, the long-time general manager of the Co Westmeath track, who passed away aged 61 earlier this month. Dunican had been at the helm for more than three decades.
Since Dunican’s death, there have been emerging reports of several disagreements that had transpired between Kilbeggan and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board over the past few months. Many of these disputes revolved around the track’s racing license. Following Dunican’s passing, the IHRB issued a statement expressing its sympathy. The organisation clarified that it oversaw the licensure of all horse racing participants in Ireland, including trainers, jockeys, jockeys’ agents and valets, along with licensing racecourses. However, it refused to publicly discuss the details, insisting that licensing processes as applied to individual licensees or applicants remained confidential.