The future of Tipperary racecourse could be secured before the end of November after the Irish Horseracing Authority' chief executive yesterday described discussions with a local consortium as "live, active and going ahead".
The Tipperary group is currently in discussions with the finance department of the IHA, and the IHA's Noel Ryan said: "A possible package has not yet been discussed in a formal detailed way but I would imagine there will be something concrete in a few weeks or a month."
Earlier this year, the IHA announced that it would cut the number of fixture at Tipperary for 1999 to eight and that it wanted to "divest itself of the ownership" of the track.
The directors of Tipperary argued that just eight meetings was not feasible, and, significantly, Ryan said yesterday: "The number eight has no particular magic and if there are proposals for one or two more sponsored fixtures I would not see it as a fundamental stumbling block."
The local group is discussing the option of buying the racecourse but the possibility of leasing the track from the IHA has not been ruled out either.
Noel Meade's Sunshine Street is among the five reserves for the $2,000,000 Breeders' Turf over a mile and a half at Churchill Downs on November 7th. Aidan O'Brien's Second Empire, third in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, makes the 14 automatically selected for $1,000,000 Mile along with David Loder's Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Desert Prince, the Godolphin pair Cape Cross and Fly To The Stars, and Michael Stoute's Among Men.
Aidan O'Brien's Festival Hall and Cupid are among 11 acceptors for the Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud (10f) at Saint Cloud on Saturday.
Both horses are coming off a win, with Festival Hall, the more titled off the pair, successful in the Group Three Beresford Stakes.
Whereas Cupid opened his account at the second time of asking at Leopardstown last Saturday.
Peter Chapple-Hyam, successful in 1995 in the big juvenile prize with Polaris Flight, is the only other foreign trainer with interests in the race.
The Manton trainer has left in his impressive Prix de Conde winner Bienamado and the Newbury scorer Forest Shadow at the second forfeit stage.
