RACING NEWS:A LATE Easter in 2011 means next year's Punchestown festival will be run in May for the first time in a decade.
Ireland’s National Hunt festival will run from May 3rd-7th, a full six weeks after Cheltenham, due to the Irish Grand National being run on its traditional Easter Monday date on April 25th.
The new arrangements mean Punchestown will be run off three weeks after Aintree’s Grand National festival.
Yesterday’s announcement came ahead of the still-to-be-announced full 2011 fixture list, but the move was welcomed by Ireland’s champion trainer Willie Mullins.
“The 2011 dates are ideal for us as it gives us time to get horses ready to have a right crack at the prize money on offer,” he said.
Punchestown manager Dick O’Sullivan added: “We are pleased to confirm the dates for 2011 as we already have enquiries for next year and lots of UK visitors looking to book their flights already. The slightly later date will offer trainers extra preparation time and hopefully good weather for our racegoers.”
More immediately, there will be €365,000 in prize money at Galway’s autumn meeting, which begins on Saturday and goes through to Monday. The first two days are all-National Hunt, with the Listed Ardilaun Hotel Oyster Stakes the feature on Monday’s all-flat card.
Charlie Swan is considering that race for his progressive charge Rajik, who won a Listed contest on his last start.
“He seems to have really hit top form in the last couple of months. He might run on Monday so we could give it a go while he is in such good form,” Swan said. “If he can maybe win another Listed, we might even look for a Group Three somewhere.”
Swan will be focused on Bellewstown this evening, where he will be hoping for a change of luck with Zaralabad in the concluding 14-furlong conditions race.
Zaralabad was notably unfortunate with traffic problems behind Top Spin in Killarney’s handicap feature recently, and met trouble in running before that at Galway and in Newcastle’s Northumberland Plate behind Overturn.
He faces decent opposition in Hazeymm, a smart flat horse for Mick Channon that finished eighth in a French Derby, the good bumper performer Greenbelt Star and End Of The Affair, who chased home Endless Intrigue at Killarney. But a clear passage could see Zaralabad home in front.
In-form trainer John Murphy brings Proper Madam to Co Meath for the opening Nursery and there should be improvement in the filly from her comeback effort at Sligo.
Jessica Harrington ups Back Burner to a mile for the juvenile maiden after his debut third over six furlongs at Dundalk, and he can be another member of the trainer’s two-year-old team to win.
Gordon Elliott and Wayne Lordan, who enjoyed memorable Ebor moments at York, can team up successfully with the former course runner-up Thistimesforgood in the second division of the mile handicap.
