There will be a festival overload next year when the Fairyhouse Grand National meeting and the Punchestown festival will be run on consecutive weeks.

In a new development, Fairyhouse will begin on Easter Sunday (April 23th) but the Grand National will hold its traditional Easter Monday position. It will remain a three day fixture however.

Punchestown will start the following Tuesday (May 2nd) and run for four days.

The changes were announced by the Irish Horseracing Authority yesterday in their fixture list for the year 2000.

A total of 275 meetings will be held, three more than this year, and will begin with the New Years Day fixture at Tramore.

Navan has been given three more days and Tipperary two while Ballinrobe, Clonmel, Cork, Fairyhouse, Listowel, Thurles and Wexford have been given one extra.

The flat season will begin at the Curragh on March 26th and the year's most important race, the Budweiser Irish Derby, will take place on July 2nd.