RDS DEVELOPMENT:THE ROYAL Dublin Society (RDS) will continue to upgrade its grounds and strive to be among the top international showjumping venues, Michael Duffy, the chief executive of the organisation, said at the end of this year's Dublin Horse Show.
Mr Duffy said he had not heard formally from the organisation running the international Super League if Dublin would be one of the venues chosen for the new-look competition next year. The main sponsor, Samsung, is pulling out of the event next year and so far no replacement sponsor has been found.
Mr Duffy said the international riders who had been in Dublin this week had expressed satisfaction with the new arena and facilities.
Work would have to be carried out on the showing rings, which had been badly cut up this week, he added.
Mr Duffy said the RDS was halfway through a €100 million development programme. Two office blocks had been built and money continued to be invested in the RDS's facilities, he said.
He said there would be a full review of the horse show, which had been well supported by the public, and numbers would be the same as last year. However, he would not give specific numbers.
There had been no talk from exhibitors of an impact on the event because of the slowdown in the economy, and he understood that there had been horse sales over the week by overseas buyers.