Stable staff upset at Thurles switch

Stable staff in Ireland are upset at the decision to stage today’s abandoned Thurles fixture on Sunday – the day after their big awards night.

Horse Racing Ireland made the switch after frost knocked out this afternoon’s fixture, which was to have featured Native Upmanship’s outing in the MacLochlainn Road Markings Limited Kincloch Brae Chase.

The Irish Stable Staff Association is staging its inaugural awards function the previous night in the Standhouse Hotel in County Kildare, with an expected attendance of 650.

Many of the stable staff in attendance, including award winners, will now be required to take horses to Thurles early the following morning. There is already a meeting at Punchestown on Sunday.

Association chairman Dan Kirwan said: “It’s another unfair burden that stable staff are being asked to carry.”

He added: “Due to our professionalism and dedication to our horses, we will support our industry in a constructive and positive manner.”