Weather plays havoc

Tomorrow's Cork fixture is the sole hope of avoiding a racing whitewash in Ireland this weekend and even that seven-race card looks touch and go with track authorities preparing to look at conditions today ahead of tomorrow morning's scheduled 8am inspection.

Today's Naas card was called off yesterday after 20mms of overnight rain waterlogged the course while Fairyhouse have rescheduled their Normans Grove Chase programme to Wednesday after also failing a morning inspection.

"All this rain is supposed to dry up for Monday and Tuesday so we will try and give it every chance. We just want some dry weather, but even for Wednesday you would have to be more hopeful than confident," said the Fairyhouse manager Caroline Grey yesterday.

That leaves the stage clear for Cork but an adverse weather forecast is threatening to rule that card out too.

"We're reaceable at the moment but the forecast is pretty bad and we'll take a look at it again tomorrow," said the Cork manager, Michael O'Neill yesterday. "There's an inspection planned for Sunday morning so we're hoping for the best."

Fairyhouse's postponement is not good news for Tom Taaffe but the trainer still intends to give the 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kicking King his return to action in the Normans Grove.

"It's still the intention to run there, nothing's changed," Taaffe said. "It's a bit of a pain and it is prolonging things unfortunately but we have to grin and bear it. It's the same for everyone so hopefully it goes ahead on Wednesday."

Kicking King hasn't raced since winning his second King George VI Chase at Sandown Park in December of 2005 and remains as high as 40 to 1 to make a spectacular return to the top-flight in the Gold Cup next March.