Racing in limbo after Irish cards cancelled
Clonmel meeting the last until at least April 19
AFTER valiantly keeping the show on the road, Ireland cancelled horseracing – along with all other sporting events that had taken place behind closed doors – from midnight yesterday.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “We believe we need to do more to flatten the curve.
“People should stay at home if at all possible – this is the best way to slow the virus.”
Yesterday’s jump meeting at Clonmel is expected to be the last fixture in the country until at least April 19, after today’s all-weather fixture at Dundalk was abandoned.
The Irish Grand National meeting, which was due to take centre stage at Fairyhouse between April 11-13, is one of the key meetings which will be lost.
Racing in Ireland had taken place behind closed doors since March 13 and was a saviour to the racing and betting industry.
This follows Britain’s decision to suspend racing from last Wednesday, with no action anticipated before May 1 at the earliest.
Grand National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott said: “If it’s three or four weeks and we get back, then it won’t be too bad. Everyone has to do their job and if we get back after a month it won’t be the end of the world. Everybody is going to have to tighten up and hopefully we’ll get through it OK. The racecourses have been doing a very good job, but that’s just the way that things are and we have to do the best by everyone.”
County Tipperary handler David Marnane said: “We’re all in this together and we’ll just have to do the best we can. “It’s a huge blow to us, but it is for the greater good.We have to keep going with the horses, though.We have to exercise them. “We have to do what we can and we will.” With all race meetings in Europe now cancelled, it will only be a matter of time before the United States also pulls up stumps.
Yesterday, South Africa announced that today’s meeting at Fairview and Thursday’s card at Vaal will be the last fixtures to go ahead before the lockdown is imposed, with no racing permitted between Friday March 27 and April 17 at the earliest.
Before the curtain came down on Irish racing, Bachasson overcame a lack of match practice over fences when putting in a faultless round of jumping to take the Boylesport Chase at Clonmel.
Partnered by Paul Townend, the grey skipped over his fences despite having his first run in a chase since falling in the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
“He had the mark to do it and he was entitled to do it like that,” said Townend after his victory on the Willie Mullinstrained grey.
“He’s a really quick jumper and makes lengths everywhere, which is a great help.
“He winged the first and was great after that.”
Townend’s sister Jody also enjoyed success when partnering Captain Kangaroo to victory for Mullins in the concluding bumper race.