Quel Esprit, Willie Mullins’ 2012 Irish Hennessy winner, will run in a hunter chase at Leopardstown on February 9 but the grey is not eligible for the CGA Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Aidan O’Brien looks to have an exciting jumper on his hands again after the impressive success of Carriganog in the I.N.H Stallion Owners EBF Novice Hurdle at Wexford.

Just one of three planned point-to-point fixtures survived the elements yesterday and that was the Island Foxhounds meeting that took place at Ballydarragh in north Co Wexford.

There have been some outstanding performances from young horses in point-to-points over the past few weeks and, on Saturday at the Kildare Foxhounds meet at Punchestown, it was Liam Burke’s turn to introduce a potentially-decent prospect in Sumos Novios who posted a stellar debut performance in a vintage renewal of the five-year-old geldings’ maiden.

Seabass and Felix Yonger provided Ruby Walsh with a superb Grade 2 double at Naas yesterday.

We’ve spoken before in these pages about the earthiness of those who go to Clonmel every year for the annual National Coursing Meeting, of how grounded they are in nature, how self-sufficient.

THE Morgiana Hurdle has cut up quite a bit which is a pity. It’s a real trappy race and I’m not quite sure what is going to make the running which is a bit of a worry as Oscars Well would like a proper pace.

HAD the Dublin footballers won last year’s All-Ireland title then virtually every county squad in the country would have been training this morning at 6.30am.

SILVER medallist swimmer Gráinne Murphy was showing no sign of Leaving Certificate results nerves as she returned home to a hero’s welcome.

GRÁINNE MURPHY suffered heartbreak at the European Swimming Championships in Budapest yesterday as she was just five-hundredths of a second shy of winning the bronze medal for Ireland.

GRAINNE MURPHY claimed her third gold medal at the European Junior Swimming Championships, winning the 200m Individual Medley in 2.14.22.

Swimming sensation Grainne Murphy has won her second gold medal and third medal overall of the European Junior Swimming Championships in Prague this evening.

THE number of houses in the Gaeltacht reserved for Irish speakers is to be linked to the percentage of those who speak the language, An Bord Pleanála has ruled.

THERE was no shortage of drama in an action packed two days at the Loch Garman Cup meeting held in Ballinaboola.

One man is dead and four people are injured following a road accident in Co Wexford.

Massive interest from the clubman circuit has guaranteed a full entry list for this Sunday’s Crosbie Cedars Hotel Wexford Single Stage Rally - the second Slaneyside event of the year.