Up to 10,000 students set to attend Wednesday’s Leopardstown programme

Up to 10,000 students are expected at Wednesday afternoon’s Leopardstown programme with officials at the Dublin course convinced some will become regular racegoers of the future.

The success of such student race days in attendance terms was underlined once again with a significant crowd at Limerick last week.

Now it’s Leopardstown’s turn on a card that features the return of action of last year’s brilliant Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs in the Listed Heritage Stakes.

Online ticket prices were originally €22 before reaching €27 closer to the meeting and are now sold out according to Leopardstown’s chief executive Tim Husbands.

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“There are two reasons as to why we do these days. One is because they are very commercially viable and make a positive contribution to our business. But secondly these are our racegoers of the future.

“We have good evidence to suggest that ticket purchasers now come back to us in three or four years’ time when they’re not students.

“One of our sponsors, Aparto, they were attendees at one of our race-days in 2016 so we know there is a direct connection.

“But it is so important that we continue to engage young people and if you go into the grandstand tomorrow and hear the roar when the horses come around the bend it’s equivalent to a Cheltenham roar. It’s brilliant,” Husbands said on Tuesday.

Ryan Moore and Oisin Murphy will be star attractions at Leopardstown.

Both were at the track on Sunday where Moore rode a pair of Guineas Trial winners and the Englishman is back for a trio of rides for Aidan O’Brien that all look to hold major claims.

They include a newcomer in The Black Tiger who holds a number of classic entries.

Murphy’s sole spin is Buckaroo for Qatar Racing in the feature event. Joseph O’Brien’s runner hasn’t raced since failing to fire in last year’s Irish 2,000 Guineas but had previously impressed in the Tetrarch.

The one to beat however looks to be Homeless Songs who put up one of the signature performances of 2022 with her spectacular five and a half length defeat of Tuesday in the Curragh 1,000.

She failed to follow that up in two subsequent starts so her return to action will be closely examined.

Opposition also includes the latest French recruit to Paddy Twomey’s yard, the Listed Saint-Cloud winner Mea Domina. Twomey won the Heritage a year ago with his subsequent Group 1 heroine Pearls Galore.