RACING: When Horse Racing Ireland issued the preliminary list of runners and riders for the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day fixtures, the knowing ones were prepared to take short odds that today's Punchestown meeting would be called off before the day was much older and that tomorrow's Fairyhouse fixture would be certain to go ahead.
The confidence stemmed from the knowledge that Fairyhouse has a gravel base and is therefore by nature far better equipped than Punchestown to cope with substantial amounts of rainfall.
The Punchestown Stewards had made preparations for a lunchtime inspection but even before they had donned their Burberries and wellington boots, came the surprise announcement that such was the forecast for New Year's Eve that there was no prospect of the waterlooged Fairyhouse track recovering in time to usher in the New Year on the Metropolitan circuit.
In contrast The Punchestown Stewards were not merely able to pass their course as fit for racing today but added the rider that they did not believe there should be any further inspection this morning.
Bookmakers who have had a horrendous losing run all through the month of December will be tempted to give up betting on handicap hurdles and instead take on the members of the racing press on what meetings will or will not be held.
Tramore will hopefully beat the elements on both days and thus see in the New Year. The feature race now run under the title of the Wilf Dooly Chase has produce some extraordinary results over the years as chasers that on paper have had a stone or more in hand, have become unstuck on this idiosyncractic circuit.
That said it is hard to see how the winner can come from anything other than one of the two top weights.
More Than A Stroll beat some of the best chasers around including See More Business, and Florida Pearl to lift the €140,000 James Nicholson Wine Merchant sponsorship at Down Royal.
He can still be opposed by the Haydock winner Sackville as More Than A Stroll could only finish third in this race 12 months ago.
