Saturday’s Card Washed Out as Heavy Rain Hits Fairyhouse
The opening day of Fairyhouse’s eagerly anticipated Boylesports Irish Grand National Festival has been abandoned following persistent overnight rain, which left the course waterlogged. Scheduled for Saturday, the meeting was called off shortly before 8am after 21mm of rain fell during the night.
The three-day fixture was set to begin with a trio of competitive Listed handicap hurdles and chases, along with the Ladies National. However, deteriorating ground conditions rendered racing impossible, with officials left with little choice but to cancel the day’s action.
Meeting Rescheduled for Tuesday 22 April
Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) confirmed that the lost fixture will now take place on Tuesday, 22 April. All original entries remain valid, although the Rybo Handicap Hurdle (Listed) will now return to its post-final forfeit stage. Fresh declarations for all races must be made by 10am on Sunday.
Sunday Card Under Threat – Morning Inspection Scheduled
Concerns now turn to Sunday’s second day of the Festival, which features two Grade 1 contests: the WillowWarm Gold Cup (2.22) and the Honeysuckle Mares Novice Hurdle (4.10). A 7.30am inspection will determine whether racing can proceed.
Peter Roe, Fairyhouse’s general manager, explained the situation: “The issue is the sheer relentlessness of the rain and the fact it isn’t expected to ease until midday. Where there’s no standing water, the ground is soft to heavy. But the surface water on top is the real problem. We’ve had 30mm in the past 24 hours, and over 50mm in total across the last two days.”
Elsewhere in Racing
The adverse weather had already disrupted Saturday’s racing schedule, though Newton Abbot did manage to go ahead after passing its inspection, despite receiving around 30mm of rain. In Ireland, Flat racing at Cork is set to go ahead as planned.
