Racing News: Dermot Weld is going to give himself until at least next week before deciding on Relaxed Gesture's trans-Atlantic Classic options in June.

The Moyglare Stud-owned colt made a highly encouraging seasonal debut when runner-up to the Epsom Derby favourite Yeats at Leopardstown on Sunday and even managed to escape any serious damage when kicked by the same horse immediately after the race.

Relaxed Gesture picked up a cut to his hind-quarters but Weld reported yesterday: "It's a little bit sore and he will definitely be held up for a few days but it won't influence where we run him next."

The main options for Relaxed Gesture are a supplementary entry to Epsom, and another clash with Yeats, or a trip to New York on the same day to try and emulate the Weld-trained Go And Go who won the Belmont Stakes in 1990.

"There are races in three countries I want to have a look at over the next week before deciding. There's the Dante at York, the Preakness in America and I want to look at American Post who runs in the French Guineas on Sunday," Weld said.

The Belmont, the third leg of the American Triple Crown, would mean a return to the dirt surface over which Relaxed Gesture ran in in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last season.

There were no post-race scrapes for Yeats reported by Aidan O'Brien yesterday and the Ballydoyle trainer's next big race target will be the Dante at York where he runs Moscow Ballet.

O'Brien also hopes to have a runner in Thursday's Glasgow Stakes and said yesterday: "We will have to decide between Go For Gold or Book Of Kings."

On racing's political front, however, unease is growing about payment arrangements for stable staff at Saturday evening fixtures with the Stable Staff Association threatening not to work in future unless they receive a €100 payment.

The issue has come to a head on the back of Kilbeggan's evening meeting last Saturday with some stable staff unhappy at current pay arrangments.

Last year the problem was solved by Horse Racing Ireland giving €65 to each worker with another €40 coming from the individual trainer. However, this year employees have been told to negotiate their own deals with trainers.

The issue threatens to boil up at the next Saturday evening fixtures which are at Wexford and Limerick on May 29th.

Yesterday the trainer's representative on the HRI board, Jessica Harrington, described the current stand off as "a very negative situation."

She said: "What happened last year was experimental and this time it was left to trainers to sort out. Most trainers have sorted out their arrangments satisfactorily but I just hope this problem can be fixed.

"Personally speaking I'm not in favour of Saturday evening racing because it means even more time when we're not at home. But if it has to come in order for racecourses to get their finances in order and for more people to go racing then it has to come."

Ruby Walsh has received a Special Achievement Award for being the leading rider at this year's Cheltenham festival. The former champion jockey received the prize at the National Hunt Awards last Sunday night.

The Co Limerick-based trainer Enda Bolger won the Personality of the Year Award while the Barry Geraghty and Noel Meade were the leading jockey and trainer winners respectively.

Tomorrow's meeting at Newcastle hinges on a 1.30 p.m. inspection today after 10mm of rain over the weekend.