My name is Willie Gibbons and I am the track manager at Leopardstown Racecourse. I’ve been based at Leopardstown my whole life, my dad, John Gibbons, was the track manager before me and I used to spend my weekends and holidays helping my dad with maintenance, and working as a hurdle man on racedays.

I am a qualified electrician by trade and began working full time in Leopardstown Racecourse as the electrician in July 1986. Two years later my dad retired and I took on his role as track manager. The main priority of a track manager is to ensure that the racetrack is safe and ensure the best ground is used from one meeting to the next. To do this we work in conjunction with the manager of the racecourse and the clerk of the course to decide if rails must be moved and if the track needs watering or covering.

Working with six full-time staff it also our responsibility to allocate stables on race day, ensure that the stables have bedding and are safe, the moving of stalls, building and maintaining the hurdles and fences, following the horses around the course during the race to provide screens if the horse is injured, and alert jockeys, using flags, if a fence has to be bypassed.

To do this job or be a part of the track team you must be able to apply yourself well. There is no room for shortcuts as your dealing with the safety of both horse and rider. Also you have to like working outside, having knowledge of working with wood or metal and driving machinery would also be a big advantage. I get great gratification at the end of a day’s racing when I see all horse and riders get around safely, that’s how you know you have done a good job.

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