Curragh behind schedule

Racing news:The Curragh's €100 million facelift is estimated to be four months behind schedule due to a delay in an An Bord Pleanála decision regarding planning permission for the new grandstand complex although Turf Club officials remain confident a Derby Day 2009 deadline for completion of most of the work remains achievable.

Objections to planning permission for the dramatic new grandstands at Irish racing's headquarters have been with An Bord Pleanála for almost a year now and a final call from the appeals body is expected to be made next month.

However, that can hardly come soon enough for the Turf Club who are anxiously awaiting the green light to start the next stage of the biggest building project ever attempted at an Irish racecourse.

Senior steward Pierce Molony yesterday stressed the importance of An Bord Pleanála making a positive decision and a Turf Club official later added: "It is critical this is done as quickly as possible or else we could be talking about the 2009 deadline being under threat. A decision can't come quickly enough because everything is being held up at the moment."

Currently a new ring road and a new horse tunnel have been built at the Curragh but already the Turf Club's design team are looking at contingency plans to re-jig their building schedule because of the An Bord Pleanála delay in allowing more construction go ahead.

"The newly-planned weigh room was supposed to be half built by now, and work was also supposed to be under way on the new parade ring," said the Turf Club's chief executive, Denis Egan.

"We are still hoping to meet the Derby Day '09 deadline but there are only so many windows, mainly through the winter, for work.

"Racing will not be interrupted. It would be more expensive to actually close the racecourse. But what could happen is that projects like the weigh room and the champagne bar could be re-scheduled until after the 2009 Derby."

These Turf Club concerns were outlined yesterday when Pierce Molony also stressed the importance of having accesses to licensee records including itemised phone bills in the event of the regulatory body having to investigate activities on the betting exchanges.

Both the trainers and jockeys associations have strongly objected to such a move but Molony pointed to current events at the Old Bailey involving the high-profile race-fixing trial and said it is "important that similar powers are available in Ireland" as in Britain.

During the course of a briefing, Molony also announced that advertising on owners silks will now be allowed in Ireland from January 1st, 2008, and said: "We are delighted to be able to provide this facility for owners and to bring racing into line with others sports."

He revealed that breathalyser tests, introduced to some criticism in June, have taken place at six meetings to date where all jockeys on duty were tested. Of the 292 tests, one was positive.

Molony also reported that the Turf Club have introduced their own drug testers and stopped using testers from the Irish Sports Council.

Honolulu to fly flag

The countdown to the Breeders' Cup is well under way but there will be transatlantic Irish interest before that this weekend where Honolulu is set to fly the Ballydoyle flag in the prestigious Canadian International at Woodbine on Saturday night, writes Brian O'Connor.

Aidan O'Brien's St Leger third is part of a strong European team that have already landed in Toronto and which also includes Michael Stoute's Ask as well as Andre Fabre's Irish Wells.

O'Brien won the €1.5 million mile and a half Grade One five years ago when Ballingarry won under Michael Kinane and the Irish jockey will again be at Woodbine on Saturday and will also team up with John Oxx's Blandford Stakes winning filly Four Sins.

She will attempt to emulate the 1995 winner Timarida in the EP Taylor Stakes over 10 furlongs. One of Four Sins' opponents will be the French-trained Prix Vermeille winner Mrs Lindsay.

There is no War Of Attrition in this afternoon's Punchestown feature but the absence of the 2005-06 winner in the Star Chase looks to leave the way open for Forget The Past.

Michael O'Brien's horse, third to War Of Attrition in the 2006 Gold Cup, is rated to win this on route to next month's James Nicholson Chase at Down Royal.