Festival clears recession hurdle with ease

A NEW race has been unveiled at Leopardstown — it is called the Recession Hurdle.

But while it was forecast to present the most formidable obstacle at the racecourse yesterday, the opening day of the annual four-day Christmas Festival cleared it with ease.

The attendance of 16,744 was down only 250 on last year and while betting was slow to start, punters later gathered pace to part with €1.36 million, a modest reduction on the 2007 figure of €1.44m.