Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) announced their return to the 2016 National Ploughing Championships with jockeys Jonathan Burke and Aine O’Connor, Kildare farmer Godfrey Worrell and his two heavy draft plough horses Sally and Larry.

Jockeys Jonathan Burke and Aine O’Connor Launch the Horse Racing Ireland Ploughing Championships Marquee 2016

The interactive HRI marquee will be hosted by At The Races presenters Matt Chapman and Kevin O’Ryan who will interview top trainers and jockeys every day with lots of competitions and racing ticket giveaways to many of Ireland’s 26 racecourses.

Visitors to the marquee will see R.A.C.E. (Racing Academy and Centre of Education) give horse simulator demonstrations, allowing members of the public to experience what it is like to ride a racehorse and gain an understanding of the career opportunities in the racing industry.

Children will be entertained by ‘Front Runner - Racing Club for Kids’. The daily shows will include racing games, colouring competitions, quizzes, demonstrations and great prizes.

A ‘Mastermind’ battle will also be a feature of the daily shows, with Matt Chapman taking on Horse Racing Ireland racing expert, Martin Murphy.

Horse Racing Ireland is also offering a VIP day out for ten people at the Leopardstown Racecourse Christmas Festival. Each of the ten guests will also receive a one-year digital subscription to the Irish Field bringing the total value of the prize to over €2,500. The competition is free to enter to all marquee visitors.

Michael O’Rourke, Director of Marketing and Communications, HRI commented:
“The National Ploughing Championships brings us into the heartland of our most dedicated racing fans. Our marquee will be ’racing central’ all week. It’s a great opportunity to meet top jockeys and trainers, introduce children to racing with our ‘Front Runner - Racing Club for Kids’ shows and see horse simulator demonstrations. We will have information on all race meetings for the rest of the year and details of how to get involved in horse ownership.”

At The Races Presenter, Matt Chapman said:
"The HRI marquee at last year’s National Ploughing Championships was so much fun. We had a steady stream of jockeys and trainers every day, happy to be put under the spotlight by Kevin and myself. It’s very clear that the rural audience attending the Ploughing Championships are really into their racing as the daily shows were completely packed with queues outside the marquee. I have absolutely no doubt that this year will be just as much craic. I’m really looking forward to surrounding myself with trainers, jockeys, farmers and tractors - Yeeehaaa!"

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