Saturday’s opening day of the Dublin Racing Festival faces potential cancellation as severe flooding continues to plague Leopardstown Racecourse.
Betting markets indicate the meeting is unlikely to proceed, with Paddy Power offering odds of 4-7 against racing taking place and 5-4 for it to go ahead.
The Betfair Exchange shows similar sentiment, pricing the event at 2-5 not to start as planned.
An inspection has been scheduled for 2:30pm on Friday to assess conditions at the Dublin venue.
The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board confirmed the dire situation.
They said: “Following 22mm of rain in last 24hrs (193mm in 14 days), @LeopardstownRC (Saturday/Sunday) is soft to heavy (Chase) & parts of the Hurdle track are unfit for racing.”
Further rainfall of between 10-20mm is forecast before Saturday.
The relentless downpour has deposited seven inches of precipitation over a fortnight, rendering sections of the hurdles course completely unsuitable for competition.
The racecourse posted footage on social media showing the dramatic transformation
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GETTYHowever, the chase track remains in raceable condition, described as soft to heavy.
Thousands of racegoers will be disappointed if officials deem the conditions unsafe, as Saturday’s card has sold out.
The headline attraction sees Galopin Des Champs attempting to secure an unprecedented fourth Irish Gold Cup victory.
Ground staff at the course, located on Dublin’s outskirts, have worked tirelessly to salvage the meeting.
Leopardstown’s ground staff have attempted an extraordinary rescue mission to save the Dublin Racing Festival
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GETTYEarlier this week, footage revealed fencing along the back straight completely submerged beneath floodwater, with large portions of the track underwater.
A remarkable clean-up operation cleared the waterlogged areas in just six and a half hours.
Despite these efforts, persistent rainfall has continued to hamper preparations.
Several contingency plans are being considered in case Saturday’s racing is abandoned.
Several contingency plans are being considered in case Saturday’s racing is abandoned
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GETTY
One option is to shift the entire programme back by a day, with Sunday’s fixtures rescheduled to Monday, which is a bank holiday in Ireland.
An alternative proposal from racing enthusiasts is to run an all-chase card on Saturday, provided the track remains fit for purpose.
This approach would allow the hurdles course additional time to recover before hosting an all-hurdles programme on Sunday, including the eagerly anticipated Irish Champion Hurdle clash between Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysahead.
The festival has already suffered one significant blow before the weather crisis emerged. Willie Mullins withdrew Kopek Des Bordes from the Irish Arkle after declaring the horse.
Owner Charlie McCarthy described himself as “heartbroken” upon learning from Mullins that his Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner had not fully recovered from a minor procedure last year.