It's time to consider being more flexible if we are to avoid racing at the height of these more frequent storms

We appear to be rattling through the alphabet of storm names this winter at a similar speed to the winds that forced the abandonment of Carrigarostig at the halfway stage of the card last Sunday.

The first point to make here is to compliment the committees, volunteers and indeed participants who managed to get the show on the road at both Carrigarostig and Ballycrystal. The latter enjoyed the comfort of permanent structures for the riders changing and stewards, as well as suitable shelter for bookmakers, which undoubtedly played a big part in it seeing the day through to its conclusion.

With such storms seemingly more prevalent recently it is perhaps time to consider any possible flexibility that could prove helpful in the event of a similar situation reoccurring. The ability to make contact with connections is certainly something that has improved significantly and we have seen many occasions where large entries have required an earlier start time to a meeting. Hard as is to believe, that was not possible just a few seasons ago and races were lost owing to poorly planned start times that did not have the scope to allow for large cards.

Perhaps there is scope later in the week, if needed, to react to forecast storms and bring the start time of a meeting forward, as late as 24 hours before it, in order to ensure those travelling can do so during daylight hours as much as possible and, in this instance, before the warning escalated higher, as had been forecast for mid to late afternoon.

The second possible consideration is some flexibility around race times. There are instances where point-to-point horses make it to post a few minutes ahead of schedule, and in the absence of any off-course betting, there appears something of an unnecessary delay until the specified off time noted on the card.

Where designated appropriate by the stewards, it might be helpful to give them the flexibility to move the day along at a pace that makes sense depending on factors such as weather or local matches, which can influence the fixture accordingly.

At Ballycrystal, the effort required to ensure wings were safely secured and the racing took place in a safe fashion yet again showcased the exceptional ability of the voluntary committees, likewise the support they were given by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board officials on what was a very testing afternoon. Well done to all involved.

Weekend fixtures

Saturday

Tyrella, first race 12.00

Sunday

Cragmore, first race 12.30

Dungarvan, first race 12.30

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