There may have been hail and snow in some parts of the country this week, but very little precipitation of any kind has fallen in Dublin, much to the frustration of officials at Leopardstown Racecourse.

The track will host the Dublin Racing Festival on Saturday and Sunday, with eight Grade 1 races scheduled to be run over the course of the two days.

Soft ground would be ideal for most of the top-class jump horses entered, but Mother Nature is not playing ball.

Last year’s meeting was similarly affected by dry conditions and this led to a significant number of non-runners, as trainers feared their heavier horses could pick up an injury when landing over a fence on to firm ground.

As a result, Leopardstown has come under intense pressure to artificially water the track, a common practice during the summer months but unheard of in mid-winter.

Despite fears that watering at this time could cause longer-term damage to the soil structure, the racecourse has embarked on a watering programme.

The aim is for the word ‘good’ not to appear in the official ground description on either raceday.

Only four horses went to post for the Irish Gold Cup at last year’s meeting when the chase course was good, good to firm in places.

This seems a very tall order and we could be set for some small fields this weekend, which is a real shame as the meeting is starting to establish itself as a major fixture in the jumps racing calendar.

Owners and attendances up

Meanwhile statistics released by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) this week show that over 1.3 million people attended an Irish racemeeting in 2019, an increase of 3.2% on the previous year’s figures.

There was also an increase in the number of new racehorse owners and the number of racehorses in training.

Overall the 2019 figures were generally positive, although the Tote continues to struggle.

HRI boss Brian Kavanagh said: “The board of Horse Racing Ireland received a full presentation on future options for Tote Ireland.

“All options are being considered and we will revert with a recommended position in the coming months. The decision will reflect what we believe is the best option for Irish racing.”

Betting activity in general is up and Kavanagh pointed out that off-course betting duty receipts collected by the Government in 2019 amounted to some €95 million. He said this compared favourably with the €67.2 million the Government is giving to the racing industry in funding for 2020.