Racing this week in Ireland was due to start this afternoon (Thursday) at Clonmel but that meeting has been cancelled and refixed for next Wednesday, the 15th of January.
Racing is on the all-weather tomorrow evening at Dundalk, away at 4.30 pm. Fairyhouse Races takes place on Saturday with the highlight, the Dan and Joan Moore Memorial Chase, at 12 pm, and Punchestown on Sunday sees the first of a two-day meeting featuring the Grade 2 Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle at 12.25 pm. Sunday starts at 12.48 pm.
Fairyhouse and Punchestown are both unfit for racing at present so if you intend to go racing, check that the meetings are going ahead – both courses are being monitored.
The first meeting lost to this cold weather spell was at Musselburgh last Friday, which was controversially abandoned only ten minutes before the first race.
Saturday’s national hunt programme on both sides of the Irish sea was abandoned with Cork joining Newcastle, Sandown, and Wincanton programme. The meeting lost at Cork on Saturday has been rescheduled for January 17th. On Sunday, racing started at Chepstow but after two races it joined the abandoned Plumpton meeting. On Monday, Ludlow was abandoned and Tuesday was again a blank day with Hereford (course waterlogged) and Leicester both falling foul of the weather.
Today, Catterick and Newbury join Clonmel on the sidelines with Huntington and Doncaster off tomorrow. Next Saturday’s card at Weatherby was abandoned yesterday with a major doubt over the card at Warwick.
On the point-to-point scene, both meetings at Tinahely and Ballindenisk abandoned last Sunday have been refixed for this Saturday.
Racing on terrestrial television this weekend is carrying nine races – five from Warwick, three from Kempton, and one from Weatherby – all on ITV.
Festival Racing Review
The New Year saw WP Mullins off to a great start with a six-timer across the boards with Aurora Vega, Sounds Victorius, Allegorie De Vassy and Champ Kiely winning in Fairyhouse, all under Paul Townend, with More Coko ridden by Brian Hughes and Sean Mulryan’s Embassy Gardens with Michael O’Sullivan aboard victorious at Tramore.
On Sunday, racing went ahead at Naas after an inspection and Mullins continued his form with a treble, Fun Fun Fun winning the opening Mares Beginners Chase, on her chasing debut, ridden by son Patrick, who bred the horse and was completing a unique treble having won two bumpers and a hurdle on the horse. Ile Atlantique and Joystick under Paul Townend followed up to complete the treble. The Grade 1 Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle was won by Gordon Elliott’s The Yellow Clay who won easily and will probably go straight to Cheltenham.
Racing news
Having been appointed by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede to replace the retired Daryl Jacob as retained rider, JJ Slevin got off to a flying start in his new role in the ‘double green’ after finishing 2nd to Aurora Vega in Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day. He completed a double at Ayr on the 2nd with a double aboard Stuart Crawford’s Irish raiders Al Kalila, 4-6 favourite, and 14/1 shot O’Toole.
Cheltenham is coming fast and there are only 19 entries in the Gold Cup with the Irish entry of 13 horses headed by Galopin Des Champs, only five British entries and one from France. There are 34 in the Ryanair Chase including Jimmy Mangan’s only entry for Spillane’s Tower, a surprise omission from the Gold Cup. There are 26 entered in the Queen Mother Chase with the ten-strong British contingent headed by Jonbon, 15 Irish-trained and one in France.
