Drying ground at the Curragh and Cork The Irish Flat season finishes up at the Curagh today where an eight-race card kicks off at 12.17pm. The ground has been drying out over the last few days and is now yielding to soft (Straight) & yielding (Round) with a dry and sunny day in store. Billy Lee, whose mount Jancis was a fast-finishing third in yesterday’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, jets back from Keeneland and will be crowned champion jockey for the first time. Lee (40) is a native of Ballingarry and fellow Limerick man Paddy Harnett, from Abbeyfeale, looks set to be champion apprentice. Harnett (28 winners) leads Sam Coen (three rides) by two and Reese Holohan (four rides) by three heading into the final day of action. Harnett, aged 24, has six rides on the card and has a great chance of extending his lead in the opener where he takes the mount on Aidan O’Brien’s odds-on favourite Choctaw Nation. Cork’s seven-race jumps card gets under way at 12.30pm and, following 3mm of rain on Friday and a dry, breezy day yesterday, the ground is now good to yielding. It’s set to be mainly dry in Mallow. Following a dry weekend, Fairyhouse is good (watering) ahead of Tuesday’s card on the inside track.
