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Kilcohan Park

Coordinates: 52°14′35″N 7°06′44″W / 52.243074°N 7.112086°W / 52.243074; -7.112086
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Kilcohan Park Greyhound Stadium
LocationOld Tramore Road, Waterford, Ireland
Coordinates52°14′35″N 7°06′44″W / 52.243074°N 7.112086°W / 52.243074; -7.112086
Operated byGreyhound Racing Ireland
Date opened2 Nov 1930 (for football)
26 Dec 1934 (for unlicensed racing)
May 1947 (for licensed racing)
Race typegreyhound racing
Official website

Kilcohan Park Greyhound Stadium is a greyhound racing track and former soccer stadium located in the south of Waterford, Ireland.[1]

Operations

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Racing takes place every Friday and Saturday evening. Race distances are 325, 525, 550, 575 and 731 yards [2] and the feature event at the track is the Gain Feeds Select Stakes.[3]

The main event held at the track is the Gain Feeds Select Stakes which for many years was known as the Waterford Glass Stakes.

Facilities include a restaurant, fast food facilities, a number of bars and totalisator betting. [4]

The stadium is near Waterford city, and has a large customer car park.[5]

History

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Originally built as a Soccer stadium for Waterford Football Club, opening on 2 November 1930[6] and unlicensed greyhound racing. It was owned by Mr J.McGrath and agreement was reached with Mr J.Mulhall, the president of the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) for the track to be run by them and under ICC rules in 1947. It staged its first meeting during May 1947 under ICC rules and is one of the Ireland's smallest provincial tracks but still has a circumference of 460 yards.[7]

In September 1978 a new restaurant was built by the owners the Waterford Greyhound Racing Company and overseen by Racing Manager Paddy Grant. The track managed to survive despite the large scale redundancies at the nearby Waterford Glass works in the late eighties. Waterford United Football Club remained at the stadium until 1993 and European Cup matches were held at this venue before the club moved grounds.[8]

Greyhound Racing Ireland took over the venue and invested in improvements in 2002, with a major facelift throughout the stadium and on the track. In 2006 a €3.5m extension featuring a new 180-seated restaurant and bar bringing the facilities up to a very high standard.[9]

In December 2023, the stadium renewed the contract agreement (as part of the GRI) with S.I.S for 2024.[10]

Competitions

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Track records

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Current [11]

Yards Greyhound Time Date Notes
300 Montos Mark[12] 15.91 4 November 2006
325 Gingko 17.19 3 May 2008
500 Ardfert Billy 26.95 28 May 2005
525 Droopys Curio [13] 27.94 5 September 2020 Munster Oaks Semi-Final
550 Ardfert Billy 29.20 22 October 2005
575 Jeffys Crystal 30.80 1 November 2008
730 Jemmy Doodlebeag 39.98 22 November 2008
790 Making Merry 43.20 25 August 2001
815 Group Skater 45.51 27 December 2008
815 Compass Cowboy =45.51 4 April 2009
525 hurdles Secondrate Champ 28.67 2 April 2005

Former [14] [15] [16]

References

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  1. ^ "Greyhound Track". Tramore Tourism.
  2. ^ "Waterford (Kilcohan Park)". Greyhound Data.
  3. ^ "Feature Events" (PDF). Greyhound Racing Ireland.
  4. ^ "Kilcohan Park". Greyhound Racing Ireland.
  5. ^ "Thurles Greyhound Stadium". Greyhound Racing Ireland.
  6. ^ Waterford Standard Saturday 1 November 1930 page 3
  7. ^ Genders, Roy (1981). The Encyclopedia of Greyhound Racing. Pelham Books Ltd. ISBN 07207-1106-1.
  8. ^ Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.
  9. ^ "Kilcohan Park Greyhound Stadium, Waterford". Tom O'Brien Construction.
  10. ^ "SIS GRA 2024 Agreement". Greyhound Racing Ireland. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Irish Track Records as of January 2024". Greyhound Star. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Gain Puppy & Sapling Open 300". Greyhound Racing Ireland.
  13. ^ "Dave Collins Memorial Munster Oaks Semi-Final". Greyhound Racing Ireland.
  14. ^ "Track records". Greyhound Data.
  15. ^ "Track records". Greyhound Star.
  16. ^ "Newbridge Track records". Greyhound Star.