Ruby Walsh: HRI must stand up and be counted or else Thurles will be lost forever

However, I don’t believe this to be the reason for Thurles’s closure for one minute, as a brief overview on Google Maps shows plenty of green grass between the racecourse and the town.

While the country screams for more housing, Thurles racecourse doesn’t look like the obvious place to build.

So, why has a course that plays a significant role in winter racing called time on its life as a racecourse? One can only hazard a guess from the press release that the decision of the Molony family to retire from racing was not taken lightly, and the sadness of their decision is evident in Riona Molony’s comments.

This family-run enterprise has reached a crossroads, and the Molony ladies want a change. Fair play to them, because the biggest calls are always the hardest to make, and like anyone in any walk of life, they have to do what is right for them.

"Ever-increasing industry demands and the cost of doing business," was mentioned as one of the major factors involved, which applies to every business in the current age. It looks like the straw that broke the camel's back for the Molonys, and while the relief of making such a big decision will help them all to move on with their lives, the fallout for National Hunt racing will be felt for some time.

It won't be as simple as moving Thurles’ 11 fixtures to other venues for HRI because Thurles has the unique ability to race when most courses can’t in the depths of winter.

Reallocating spring, summer and autumn meetings is simple. Still, in December and January, less than half of our total racecourses are fit for use, and even those have to be used strategically and sparingly.

An average winter seven-race card sees 85 horses racing, and 85 by four is 340 hooves tearing up the ground. Some tracks repair quicker than others, but Thurles’ drier sod takes racing better than almost any other course we have in the winter, and its closure as a business will be a considerable loss.

The Molonys’ statement does read like they are retiring from the business, but the course is still there, and perhaps another interested party can take over.

That might be something HRI can look into, but either way, Thurles on Thursday without Riona directing the show, Kate as her First Lieutenant, Trish and Helen running the coffee docks, and Anne-Marie making sure everyone else was busy, just won't be the same.

It has a fabric, a core of local supporters, and an essential role to play in National Hunt racing. It can’t be lost forever, so the HRI board must stand up and be counted.

They are spending millions on the other side of the county on an all-weather track for a decreasing population of horses, so perhaps they could do something to help save a track that already exists, has the fixtures and the stock to fill the demand.