A ‘COLOSSAL’ crowd caused a delay at the world’s most uniqure horse racing meet – as swimmers sauntered past thoroughbreds at the awesome Laytown.
Once a year crowds flock to the Irish seaside town for what is believed to be the only racing under rules in the world held on the beach.
Some punters set up camp on deckchairs as the horses raced past[/caption] Thousands made it to Laytown for the one-of-a-kind meeting[/caption] The first race had to be delayed by ten minutes due to the sheer number of punters flocking to the Irish seaside town[/caption] There is nothing like Laytown, which first hosted racing on the beach in 1868[/caption] The drink was flowing at the beach around 30 miles north of Dublin[/caption]While you’re unlikely to see the next City Of Troy in action, the card still attracts runners from top trainers such as Gordon Elliott.
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And yesterday’s spectacle was no different, as thousands made it over to County Meath, some 30 miles or so north of Dublin, for the one-of-a-kind card.
There were so many punters that the first race had to be pushed back by ten minutes to allow everyone to get in.
And still they were making their way onto the sand after the second race an hour later.
The money on offer was decent for the level, with no winner taking home less than £5,000.
And the one-off card made for some incredible photos, which included this bloke walking topless past one of the runners.
Adrian McGuinness is one of the trainers who always has a few runners at Laytown.
He bagged a winner in the second contest over 6f courtesy of 11-4 Cherry Pink.
Speaking of why he loves the annual meet so much, he said: “I have owners who live for it. They just love the place.
“I love the layout of the place, the craic, there’s always good fun here.
“We’ll have a few beers and really enjoy the day, and that’s what it’s all about.
“The spectacle is just unreal for those who haven’t been here before.
“When training horses at home I use the beach a lot – some horses love it, some don’t.
“But it can be a great way to relax horses – and even if you’re in bad form yourself you walk the beach and you feel a hell of a lot better after it.”
There was a thriving betting ring at the track with thousands of people staking on the action[/caption] The famous green and gold silks of JP McManus can be seen on the jockey nearest the camera in this incredible shot[/caption]A responsible gambler is someone who:
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