A massive crowd of 16,700 shivered at the start of Leopardstown's Christmas festival but there is huge concern that the weather today may make yesterday's conditions seem Mediterranean. A 7.00 inspection is planned this morning and a course spokesman confessed yesterday evening that the outlook could be "a little iffy".
"The danger is that the cloud cover will disappear and that would mean quite a severe frost. It could go down as low as minus three degrees overnight and it's not expected to get over three degrees tomorrow," said racing manager Tom Burke. There is also the possibility of snow today.
Severe weather yesterday resulted in the scheduled Down Royal card being cancelled not long after midday. The two steeplechase races were abandoned in the morning due to overnight frost, but the subsequent arrangement to run just four hurdle races with a 2.00 p.m. start didn't work out.
Today's fixture at Clonmel will have to pass an inspection at 7.30 a.m.
Although the Leopardstown attendance was slightly up yesterday on last year, the bookmaker turnover was down almost £125,000 to £1,079,558. A further £376,319 was bet with the Tote, and 11 jackpot winners scooped £3,893 each from the £57,102 pot.
One man who will be praying Leopardstown gets the green light today is legendary punter JP McManus, who owns Shannon Gale, the 5 to 1 ante-post joint favourite with the sponsors for the £125,000 paddypower.com handicap chase.
The Geneva-based businessman saw his recent purchase, Knife Edge pay immediate dividends by winning yesterday's feature, the £60,000 Denny Gold Medal Novice Chase.
Knife Edge started the 4 to 7 favourite and beat Well Ridden by six lengths under jockey Tom Rudd. The Michael O'Brien-trained runner is now a 7 to 1 shot for the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham's March festival.
O'Brien and Rudd also won the main supporting race, the Juvenile Hurdle, with Pittsburgh Phil.
Weather update: Yesterday's postponements - Down Royal, Ayr. Today's inspections - Ireland: Leopardstown (7.00), Clonmel (7.30); Britain: Kempton Park (7.30), Wetherby (7.30), Chepstow (8.0), Musselburgh (9.0).
Knife Edge, with Tom Rudd up, takes the last on his way to winning the Denny Gold Medal Novice Steeplechase at Leopardstown yesterday. - (Photograph: Eric Luke).
