Sligo Races cancelling second meeting over safety precautions
THE Sligo Races meeting scheduled for Monday, May 22nd has been called of for safety precautions.
This follows the earlier cancellation of the Sunday, April 30th, meeting. In a statement, Sligo Races Manager Kathryn Foley said it was with regret that the second meeting too had to be cancelled. She said: “Sligo Races wish to inform its patrons that racing on April 30th and May 22nd is cancelled. Due to an extensive drainage project carried out end of last year the ground has not healed sufficiently to enable racing.
“In the interest of horse and jockey welfare it has been decided to cancel the first two meetings. Whilst we regret losing those two meetings we are confident that in the long run it is in the best interest of the track.” Kathryn explained that due to poor weather conditions the ground has not healed sufficiently to enable racing on those dates.
“The situation is being reviewed on an ongoing basis but as of now in the interest of safety we will not proceed with that meeting.”
The ground has not recovered from extensive drainage works due to the lack of heat and this means both meetings had to be called off.
Kathryn said: “This has all got to do with safety. The welfare of the jockeys and the horses comes first and we cannot object to that. Please God the next one will go ahead. “It is disappointing but the overall result should be marvellous,” she added. The drainage works being undertaken are the largest ever at Sligo Racecourse.
Whether the May meeting can be rescheduled remains to be seen, Kathryn said. “The first one is definitely gone the second one is a maybe. It all depends on the Turf Club at the end of the day.” The next scheduled race is on Tuesday, June 20th, with further meetings on July 16th, August 9th and 10th, August 22nd and the final one on September 27th. Meanwhile, Kathryn said plans are in place to name a race after the Aintree Grand National winning jockey, Derek Fox. The Sligo man stormed to victory on board One for Arthur and has since been welcomed home with a Civic Reception in his hometown. Kathryn said: “We’ve decided that we’re calling a race after Derek.“The very first race of his in Sligo was named after Leo McMorrow, who was the first Sligo man to win the Grand National.
“We’ll look into what meeting he will be free for as he’s busy racing. He’s a great role model.”