Watering still a possibility at Leopardstown Heavy ground has been the norm at most tracks in recent months but the possibility of watering has not been ruled out at Leopardstown for their upcoming four-day Christmas Festival meeting. The going at Leopardstown on the hurdle course is currently yielding, yielding to soft in places, but the chase course is described as good to yielding. Clerk of the Course Lorcan Wyer said, “There is still plenty of juice in the ground this morning and the ground on the inner hurdle course, which will be used on days three and four, is definitely more on the yielding to soft side. “There is a little bit of light rain this morning and we’ve had 10mm over the past few days.” The forecast is generally dry over the next few days although it is expected to turn more unsettled later in the week. Wyer added, “We will monitor the situation regarding a little bit of selective watering on the chase track. If any watering takes place it will be from the winning post around to the three-mile start. “I am happy where we are at this stage.” Drying ground conditions has been an issue at some high profile jumps meetings in Leopardstown over the past few years, notably at the Dublin Racing Festival in 2019 when six of the ten declared runners for the Unibet Irish Gold Cup were taken out due to the going. There are no such issues in Limerick where the ground remains heavy following 9mm of rain since Thursday ahead of their four-day Christmas Festival meeting. The weather forecast is unsettled.
