Horse Racing News: John Durkan Chase and Fairyhouse Triple Grade I cards moved
This is the second time that the officials at the Punchestown racecourse have been forced by the big freeze to call off the Grade I John Durkan Memorial Chase card and have announced a new date for the meeting, reportedly Tuesday
the 14th of December, 2010.
The event was to feature the champion chaser The Listener and was originally scheduled to take place last Sunday. The card was moved as a result of a weather inspection on Thursday and was then rescheduled to take place this Thursday.
However, the big freeze did not allow officials at the racecourse to give a go-ahead to the meeting.
The manager of the racecourse announced this disappointing news on Monday, saying, “We’re still covered in snow and there is no immediate improvement in the weather. We’re actually due more snow today, so there’s no point even
hoping it will clear by Thursday.”
The manager further added, “Temperatures are to rise over the weekend and I’d be more hopeful of improvement by the new date on Tuesday.”
Punchestown has declared Thursday as the last day for fresh entries for the John Durkan Chase.
Meanwhile, the Grade I meeting at Fairyhouse that was scheduled to take place this Wednesday has also been postponed to Saturday as, according to an inspection by officials on Monday, the snowy racecourse was unfit to host any
racing event.
The meeting at Fairyhouse was to feature the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, the Drinmore Novice Chase and the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle and was scheduled to take place on the 28th of November. The meeting was then called off
on the 27th of November and a new eight-race meeting was arranged to take place on the 2nd of December. The weather again did not allow the event to take place on the due date, and so the meeting was again postponed.
The Triple Grade I meeting taking place on Saturday means that it will be held instead of an industry meeting that was supposed to run at Fairyhouse the same day.
When the manager of the course, Peter Roe, was approached regarding the current scenario, he said, “There is a forecast for rising temperatures and moving it to Saturday will give the course its best chance.”
Tags: