Naas officials clinging to hope track can beat freezing conditions on Thursday

As if severe frost isn’t bad enough, freezing fog is also making its presence felt on Ireland’s racing programme. Heavy fog and a resultant lack of visibility meant Monday’s Dundalk card had to be abandoned after just one race.

Following consultations between stewards, Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board officials, senior jockeys and trainers, the decision was taken to call a halt to the action.

An Orange weather warning for the Dundalk area was in place but conditions had been raceable on the run up to the meeting which started at 2.45pm.

[ Energumene obliges in defence of Bar One renewal at Cork ]

The Ciaran Murphy trained two-year-old La Tulipe Noire won the opener at 14-1. Dundalk is due to race twice more this week, on both Wednesday and Friday.

Darragh Ó Sé: Armagh’s leaders need a better grasp of game situations or killer defeats will persist

---

US PGA Championship: Three key holes at Valhalla that bring risk and reward

---

US PGA Championship 2024: Tee times, TV details, weather forecast, players to watch

---

Murphy faces tough challenge in Ulster

---

Fog is also proving a problem for hopes that jump racing can go ahead at Naas on Thursday. A combination of frost and fog meant the track at Naas was unraceable on Monday and officials admit to having more hope than confidence about the fixture getting a green light.

A scheduled seven-race card includes a potentially high-class Beginners Chase for which the high-class pair of Journey With Me and Bronn feature in entries ahead of Tuesday’s final declaration stage.

“We’ll see what mother nature brings us. At the moment, between frost in the ground, and fog, we wouldn’t be raceable. But we’ll just have to see what happens,” the Naas manager Eamonn McEvoy said on Monday.

“Wednesday looks like temperatures might go up a little bit during the day which would be a help. But Wednesday night is apparently going to be very cold. The forecast is it might get to minus six.

“We wouldn’t be able to race today with fog and frost. Fog has been here all week. I was coming home on Saturday evening and it was an awful drive. It’s been around all the time. We would need that to clear as well.

“If the fog is there it probably saves the ground a bit but if you can’t see the fences you can’t jump them either.

“Between fog and frost I’d say we’re hopeful but we couldn’t be confident. We’ll see where we are tomorrow. It’s all in mother nature’s hands, I’m afraid,” McEvoy added.

Naas did get a boost on Monday though with confirmation that it’s sole Grade 1 prize, the Lawlors Novice Hurdle, will be boosted to a €100,000 prize-fund when it is run on January 8th.

The two and a half mile contest boasts an impressive roll of honour since it was promoted to top-flight status in 2015 with winners including Enovi Allen, Bellshill and Bob Olinger.

There will be no National Hunt action in Britain until Thursday at the earliest after Tuesday’s Catterick card was called off and Newbury pulled the plug on Wednesday’s programme 48 hours in advance.