Proactive stance essential to counter the effects of weather-related cancellations

The never-ending spell of wet weather is finally starting to have a real impact on the action between the flags. The loss of Liscarroll and Loughrea last week was followed by two days at Loughanmore this weekend and the rearrangement of Curraghmore's fixture to April 6. 

The loss of four meetings in a week at this time of year can have a significant effect on many handlers and the wider industry. Twelve months ago, the subsequent Champion Bumper star Jasmin De Vaux won his point at Loughanmore for Stuart Crawford before moving to Willie Mullins, while at Liscarroll Cantico also managed to catch the eye of Closutton by winning for the Andy Slattery yard. 

The full impact of a lost meeting can never be known, but it always leads to contraction somewhere within the industry. The youngster who misses a chance when in top form and misses a sale as a consequence, to the hunt club which no longer has the opportunity to run its meeting and remain financially solid for another year. 

The stakes have arguably never been higher, and while wet winters are not a new phenomenon in Ireland, this year seems to have surprised weather experts and there is no sign of it relenting. Horses are reportedly a little behind previous years with some of the larger operations having less runners than they would normally expect by this point. 

The opportunity to catch up has often been possible in late April or early May, when the sales can often produce a massive percentage of the overall turnover for the year. Last year’s May sales at Doncaster and Cheltenham saw 206 Irish pointers sold for close to £7 million, representing 21 per cent of the entire public sale turnover for last season. 

Finding slots for replacement fixtures is key, and the regulator needs to be nimble to allow committees and courses ready to go to slot in where other fixtures in the days and weeks ahead succumb to the weather.

A proactive approach will be beneficial, with call-outs to regional committees an option, in order to see who could turn a meeting around at short notice. This provides a committee with much-needed revenue and the industry with the opportunities it needs to continue as before. 

The key for now is to be proactive in identifying those committees and hunts which can act fast and make the amendments as quickly as possible.

Weekend fixtures

Sunday
Monksgrange First race 2pm
Quakerstown First race 2pm

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