The proprietor of a Kerry hotel which is set to close has cited speculation that the venue was to house asylum seekers as one of the reasons it has gone out of business.

The number of fixtures to be staged in Ireland next year will be 355, the same as in 2015.

“We’ll leave Kerry happy now,” said in-form trainer Willie McCreery, following the victory of Fact Or Folklore in the featured Guinness Premier Handicap on day four of the Listowel Festival.

Day two of the Listowel Festival, and Rose Of Tralee can get punters off to a flyer in the opening fillies’ maiden.

Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen combined to steal the show with a treble last night at Tipperary, headed by Tested’s second consecutive success in the Group 3 Coolmore Stud Fairy Bridge Stakes.

Egyptian Warrior can continue Aidan O’Brien’s good run with his National Hunt horses by landing the Barna Recycling Rated Novice Hurdle at Galway this afternoon.

The great Sizing Europe heads to Gowran Park today in an attempt to win the Grade 2 PWC Champion Chase for the fourth year in-a-row.

Façade, who caught the eye first time out, gets the nap in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fillies Maiden at Dundalk tonight.

Dermot Weld’s Katimavik can get off the mark at the second attempt in the Next Racing At Fairyhouse October 11th Maiden at the Co Meath track this afternoon.

He is far from my favourite horse, but if ever a contest was made for Ted Veale it is the Grade 3 At The Races EBF Kilbegnet Novice Chase at Roscommon this afternoon.

James Nash reports his Guinness Kerry National hero Your Busy to be in flying form following Wednesday’s big-race success and is looking forward to further glory over the big fences at Aintree.

Rae’s Creek gets the nap to land a cracking little six-runner Cashen Novice Hurdle at the final stage of the Listowel festival this afternoon.

Jonathan Burke gave the Tony Martin-trained The Plan Man a delightful drive to land the Kerrymaid Hurdle on the first afternoon of the Listowel festival yesterday.

There is no logical reason to oppose Australia in the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown this evening and anything less than a reasonably comfortable success for Aidan O’Brien’s colt will be a surprise.

The marketing people aren’t half out in force attempting to whip up support for the Champions’ Weekend at Leopardstown and the Curragh next month.

The handicapper, Noel O’Brien, was entitled to allow himself a little smile, following the running of the valuable boylesports.com Handicap Hurdle at Leopardstown last Saturday.

Bryan Cooper got off to a flyer as the new first jockey to Gigginstown House Stud when guiding Gordon Elliott’s Toner D’Oudairies to victory in the Racecourse Supporters’ Club Chase at Thurles yesterday.

Tributes have come from throughout the racing and greyhound racing world for Patsy Byrne, who died suddenly yesterday morning.

Ante-post betting has never held any great attraction for this observer, but have to say the 25-1 on offer with some of the firms about Leading Light for next weekend’s Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp was crying out to be taken.

Beautiful weather and an all-flat card was the menu at Tipperary yesterday, but punters were thin on the ground and only ten bookmakers were on site.

Mikey Fogarty, who recently relinquished his amateur status, has certainly made a cracking start as a professional.

Talented grey Pique Sous could make a third trip to Cheltenham in November following his resounding success on the Flat at Leopardstown last week.

Edward O’Grady’s Shot From The Hip could have earned himself a tilt at the Guinness Kerry National at Listowel on September 18 after his convincing success at Killarney on Friday.

Bel La Vie won a thrilling renewal of the Gras Savoye Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris at Auteuil yesterday.

Fortify can get us away to the ideal start by landing the opening Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Maiden at Roscommon this afternoon.

Missunited is the nap choice to land a fascinating Slan Abhaile Race at the final stage of the Listowel festival this afternoon.

Eric McNamara enjoyed his third success in the Guinness Kerry National when Faltering Fullback, a 33-1 shot, stormed clear in the straight for Danny Mullins to land the major prize of the week at Listowel yesterday.

Ruby Walsh hopes to be back in the saddle for the start of next month’s Listowel Festival.

TAWAAGG, without a win since scoring over fences at Gowran Park back in February, gets the nap in the Hurricane Hurdle at Downpatrick this afternoon.

DE VALIRA is the nap choice in a fascinating Grade 3 Kilbegnet EBF Novice Chase at Roscommon this afternoon.

TALKING to a number of trainers during the Listowel festival one had to be sympathetic to the plight in which many of them currently find themselves.

BUY BACK BOB can send punters home from the Listowel festival this afternoon on the perfect note by landing the M J Carroll ARRO Maiden Hurdle.

THERE was no dream return to racing for Ruby Walsh when his only mount of the afternoon, Salute Him, trailed in fourth of four behind Plan A in the Kerrymaid Hurdle at the opening stage of the Listowel festival yesterday.

RUBY WALSH is set to make a dramatic return to racing at the Listowel festival, which starts this coming Sunday.

IT is unlikely Ruby Walsh will return in time for the Listowel festival, which begins on Sunday week.

OUT of luck on Await The Dawn at York on Wednesday and set for a return to the Knavesmire today, Joseph O’Brien took the riding honours at Wexford last night, recording a last-gasp double on Snap Alam and Monte Carlo.

IT was a case of the best wine being reserved until last at the final session of the four-day Tramore festival yesterday as the Pat Hurley-trained newcomer Ambush Angel hinted that she holds a particularly bright future by landing the closing 2012 - Tramore Races Centenary Year Mares Flat Race.

Ruby Walsh’s injury jinx has struck again with a crushed vertebrae ruling him out of the upcoming Galway Festival.

IF Kauto Star is anywhere near the horse he has been throughout his career then you’d have to think him capable of dismissing the opposition at Down Royal today.

NOEL MEADE’S horses are flying right now and his Pointilliste is the nap choice in the Thoroughbred Trail Weekend Maiden Hurdle at Punchestown this afternoon.

THE bookmakers’ committee of Horse Racing Ireland has revoked the course betting permit held by bookmaker Ger Dixie Dalton, with immediate effect.

THE unseasonal quick surface has taken its toll on Punchestown this afternoon and the three Grade 3’s on the programme are all set to house odds-on favourites.