Galway's annual race festival will be "cryptosporidium-free" within the confines of Ballybrit, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was assured during a visit to the track yesterday.
The track's new €150,000 water filtration and UV light system proved clear in tests last Friday, according to its manager, John Maloney.
Mr Ahern was in Galway to open the race course's new €22 million stand, named after the late Lord Killanin, former chair of the Olympic Council of Ireland and Galway race committee.
It will accommodate more than 7,000 people at the annual festival, which opens in three weeks. Horse Racing Ireland gave €10 million towards the cost of the four-storey structure, which was completed in 44 weeks by contractors Michael McNamara and Co. An extensive design team included EPR Architects, Campbell Reith Structural Engineers and JCP Safety Consultants.
