Day one of the meeting was abandoned after further rain left the track unfit for racing. The card has been rescheduled for Monday, with tomorrow’s needing to pass an 8am inspection
The Dublin Racing Festival needs “luck” to get the go-ahead on Sunday according to the clerk of the course.
Paddy Graffin had to call off Saturday’s card, featuring dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs, after further rain overnight left the track unraceable.
Pictures widely shared earlier this week showed how there was standing water on the track and groundstaff battled against the elements to try and get racing on.
An update on Leopardstown’s website this morning read: “”Following 17 millimetres of rain in 24 hours the hurdle track is now unraceable and todays meeting is now being transferred to Monday. There will be an inspection at 8am tomorrow morning ahead of the scheduled fixture. Forecast according to Met Eireann, 2-5 millimetres this morning mainly dry thereafter.
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“Total weekly volume of rain since Monday of this week is 110 millimetres (4.3 inches).”
After the decision was made to abandon, jockeys Paul Townend and Jack Kennedy quickly hopped on a flight to ride at Sandown instead.
The pair go head-to-head in the Grade One Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase on Kitzbuhel and Kala Conti respectively.
Sunday’s programme at Leopardstown is due to feature an Irish Champion Hurdle clash between their horses Lossiemouth and Brighterdaysahead.
And Graffin is hoping after sterling work from the team at the “saturated” course, they get the break in the weather they need.
“If we have a dry bright day today and it brought the track back to where we were yesterday, hopefully it will be okay and we can drive on, but it will need a bounce of the ball,” he told the Racing Post at 10am.
“The team at Leopardstown have done great work all week and they have brought in extra resources to give the meeting every chance, and we know how well it can drain, so hopefully they get the bit of luck they need.”
