Weather fails to dampen spirits at races

A heady combination of mud and mascara, glamour, glitz, and grass filled the air at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival yesterday.

Gates opened at 11am with the first race — the tongue-twisting Fairyhouse Vets Promoting Equine Health Maiden Hurdle — kicking off just under three hours later.

But it all very nearly didn’t happen: Up to the start of the weekend, organisers feared that snow, sleet, and rain could cause the fixture to be cancelled.