Irish Gold Cup postponed to Monday after downpour leaves Leopardstown waterlogged

The first day of the Dublin Racing Festival, which was due to open at Leopardstown on Saturday with a card featuring the Irish Gold Cup, has been postponed until Monday after heavy overnight rain in Ireland left the course at the south Dublin track waterlogged.

Sandown’s valuable card on Saturday, however, which features the Grade One Scilly Isles Novice Chase, has passed an inspection and will go ahead as planned.

A decision on Sunday’s card at Leopardstown, including the Irish Champion Hurdle, will be taken at an 8am inspection tomorrow morning.

“Unfortunately since yesterday morning we’ve had a further 17 millimetres, quite a lot of rain overnight and what appeared to be perfectly fine yesterday is now unraceable,” Paddy Graffin, Leopardstown’s clerk of the course, said in a post on X on Saturday morning.

“There’s a further 2mm to 5mm forecast for the rest of the morning, mainly dry thereafter and dry all through tomorrow into Monday evening,” Graffin continued. “We will have a look in the morning to see the prospects for racing tomorrow but we are unfit today and racing has been cancelled.” Saturday’s scheduled card at Wetherby has also been abandoned due to a waterlogged track, but the jumps cards at Sandown and Musselburgh are both due to proceed as planned alongside all-weather Flat meetings at Newcastle and Lingfield.

TV races preview

Sandown 12.55: Bollin Thou remains lightly raced for an eight-year-old and even a 13lb rise may not be enough to prevent him completing a four-timer.

Musselburgh 1.10: A closely matched field of juvenile hurdlers but Made U Blush won with something to spare last time and gets a 7lb sex allowance from most of her rivals.

Sandown 1.25: Gary & Josh Moore’s Rip Wheeler was badly hampered by an early faller last time and will outrun odds of around 6-1 if he returns to his highly promising form earlier in the season.

Musselburgh 1.43: Afadil bids to repeat his win in this race two years ago but is without a victory since and the hat-trick-seeking Williethebuilder has more substance to his recent form.

Musselburgh 2.20: Insurrection put up his two best performances over fences over track and trip and Freddie Keighley’s 7lb claim is a further point in his favour.

Sandown 2.02: The booking of Harry Cobden aboard Escapeandevade for only his seventh ride for Harry Derham is eye-catching, and the 10-year-old also has winning form on heavy ground.

Sandown 2.40: Gordon Elliott’s Kala Conti is much improved since switching from hurdles to chasing and saw off a Willie Mullins-trained odds-on shot with ease in a mares’ race at Cork in December. At around 9-4, she looks over-priced to complete a hat-trick.

Sandown 3.10: The recent rain is just what Henri The Second’s connections would have wanted to see and last season’s runner-up can improve his excellent track record.

Sandown 3.42: Fortunate Man remains lightly raced over fences and put up a career-best on his return at Aintree.