Jockeys furious with Clonmel manager over Cheltenham jibes

A FURIOUS row has erupted between the Jockeys' Association and Gerry Desmond, manager of Clonmel racecourse, following comments made by Desmond on RTE's Morning Ireland programme yesterday.

Racing at Clonmel on Thursday was abandoned after the third race, with Desmond claiming on radio the jockeys went to the stewards and complained about the ground and "the proximity of Cheltenham might have had something to do with that."

His reference to Cheltenham infuriated the riders and last evening Conor O'Dwyer hit back at Desmond. "What happened at Clonmel was nobody's fault and, all of a sudden, a big story has been created for no reason," said O'Dwyer. "The decision to race was 100% correct. But the ground, particularly coming down the hill, deteriorated with the number of horses racing on it.