Punchestown Gains Grade One Status For Two Races Horse Racing Ireland today announced a number of changes to the Irish National Hunt Pattern race programme for the 2006/7 season, with the promotion of Punchestown's Morgiana Hurdle and the Ellier Chase from Grade 2 to Grade 1 status heading a number of significant upgrades A summary of all the principal changes, including downgrades and changes to race distances, is provided below: Upgrade from Grade 2 to 1DateRacecourseRace TitleConditions19th Nov 2006PunchestownMorgiana2m Hurdle 24th Apr 2007PunchestownEllier3m 1f Nov Chase (from 2m 5f) Introduced at Group 3DateRacecourseRace TitleConditions3rd Nov 2006 Down RoyalAnglo Irish Bank Hurdle2m HurdleUpgrade from Grade C to Grade BDateRacecourseRace TitleConditions19th Mar 2007Gowran ParkGarryrichard Stud2m Handicap Chase Upgrade from Listed to Grade CDateRacecourseRace TitleConditions10th Sep 2006GalwaySmirnoff2m 6f Handicap Chase21st Sep 2006ListowelGuinness2m Handicap Hurdle7th Oct 2006Gowran ParkLangtons 3m Handicap Hurdle15th Oct 2006CorkDairygold2m Handicap Chase19th Nov 2006CorkBlackwater2?m Handicap Hurdle 9th Dec 2006NavanProudstown2m 7f Handicap Hurdle27th Dec 2006LimerickTim Duggan Memorial2?m Handicap Chase 28th Jan 2007LeopardstownClarkson2m 3f Handicap Chase8th April 2007CorkMurphys2m 3f Handicap Hurdle24th April 2007PunchestownEvening Herald2?m Handicap Hurdle Downgrade from Grade 1 to Grade 2DateRacecourseRace TitleConditions1st Oct 2006TipperaryTipperary Hurdle*2m Hurdle*The race conditions, as a straight Weight-For-Age hurdle without penalties, and the prize money (at 100,000) will remain unchanged.Change in DistancesDateRacecourseRace TitleConditions19th Feb 2007NavanBoyne Hurdle (Grade 3)2m 5f (from 2m 7f) 24th Apr 2007PunchestownEllier Nov Chase (Grade 1)3m 1f (from 2m 5f) 27th Apr 2007PunchestownBetfair Nov Handicap Chase (Grade A)2m 5f (from 3m1f)Additionally, three new Listed races have been added, while two existing races have seen their Listed status removed due to the poor historical ratings achieved:New Listed RacesDateRacecourseRace TitleConditions8th Oct 2006LimerickSherry Fitzgerald O'Malley2m 1f Chase8th Feb 2007ClonmelJim Strang & Sons Peugeot2? m Nov Hurdle9th April 2007FairyhouseSherry Fitzgerald2? m HurdleListed Status removedDateRacecourseRace TitleConditions22nd Oct 2006Clonmel from WexfordBettyville3m Handicap Chase29th Oct 2006GalwayGalway City Tribune2m Handicap HurdleHRI's Director of Racing Jason Morris commented: 'Horse Racing Ireland's National Hunt Pattern Committee reviews the entire Black Type programme on an annual basis to ensure that all Irish Pattern and Listed races are maintaining the appropriate quality. The continuing improvement in the Irish National Hunt horse population, as reflected by our unprecedented overseas successes during the past two seasons, has allowed HRI to further enhance the Pattern race programme, with two consistently high quality races justifying their promotion to Grade 1 status at Punchestown, a new Grade 3 race for Down Royal and a significant number of Handicaps promoted into the Pattern at the Grade C level from Listed status. Whilst the downgrading of the Tipperary Hurdle is unfortunate but unavoidable due to its failure to meet the required rating parameters, the race's conditions and prize money will be unchanged. It will therefore remain an important early season target for the leading hurdlers as part of Tipperary's Super Sunday card which features six Black Type races, three under each code'.
