The Cheltenham Festival has been postponed due to the UK's deepening foot-and-mouth disease crisis.
The track authorities made the decision last night after the British Ministry of Agriculture changed some of its guidelines relating to the disease.
The intention now is to stage the National Hunt Festival in April.
Thousands of Irish racing fans had been set to defy appeals from the Government for people not to travel to the event, which was due to begin next Tuesday.
READ MORE
In Dublin, the IRFU con firmed that Ireland's six-nation rugby internationals against England and Scotland had been postponed.