The ramifications of global warming are obviously far greater than ground concerns in National Hunt racing but the problem is seemingly getting bigger year on year.

Trainers are very reluctant to run their top-class National Hunt horses on quick ground for fear of sustaining an injury.

Two weeks ago, at a big Saturday meeting at Ascot, just 30 runners ran on a card of seven races with one race becoming a walkover with just one runner left after non-runners were declared.

You also had a ridiculous situation where just two runners faced off in a £55,000 chase and four in a £100,000 hurdle. The situation in Ireland isn’t as bad but pre-Cheltenham the best horses are running less and less now, with unsuitable ground put forward by trainers as the reason.

Leopardstown is one course that has trainers on high alert with regard to the going.

The south Dublin course will host its four-day Christmas Festival on 26-29 December, and the promotion of that event was launched at Gordon Elliott’s yard this week.

“It’s the racecourse’s job to provide us with suitable ground and it’s an absolute must in my view,” Elliott said. “Leopardstown is a world-class racecourse and I’m sure they’ll have beautiful ground for us because if they don’t they will be hearing from us all.”

The last part of that sentence was delivered in a humorous tone but it didn’t mask the concern. Elliott, alongside several other trainers, has been critical of the ground at Leopardstown before.

When asked about this subject in a more general sense, Henry de Bromhead gave a bit more detail when he said: “They [racecourses] possibly did too good a job on their drainage systems, not knowing what was coming around the corner with our weather systems.

“One thing I would say is that I’d never criticise a clerk of the course having the ground soft. Let’s say they are promised rain but they still water and the rain doesn’t come, at least you still have a nice ground. I think they are much better off to water it anyway if they have a fear.”

Watering tracks is costly but it seems crucial now for racecourses to attract quality horses in the event of dry weather.