Track unsafe as drains fail

Yesterday's meeting at Punchestown was called off after just one of the eight races had been run "in the interests of safety".

Initially the stewards opted to put back the second race following complaints from the jockeys who competed in the opener and deemed the course to be unsafe. Two of the also-rans, Patrizio and Pidgeon Top, had stumbled and unseated their jockeys pulling up after the winning post.

Heavy overnight rain had turned the ground soft, and drainage work carried out at the track since the National Hunt Festival in the first week in May was identified as the cause of the conditions that led to abandonment.

Several of the newly laid mole drains collapsed at the end of the back straight and after the winning post.

"I apologise to the public and racing professionals," remarked course manager Charlie Murless before he added: "We underwent a major mole-draining exercise after the Festival last May and I'm hoping the problem is limited and localised. "We had no problem at our meeting here on Sunday but we did have a lot of rain overnight. Safety is always number one and I think the appropriate decision was made," Murless concluded.

The success of Honour The Pledge in the one race run, the EBF Maiden, resulted in Pat Smullen opening up a 12-winner lead (7361) over Johnny Murtagh at the top of the jockeys' table.

Today's Leicester meeting has been abandoned as the track is waterlogged. Tomorrow's Haydock card is also off.