Bright prospects for Pierse

Sunday’s big meeting at Leopardstown, featuring the Pierse Hurdle, seems certain to go ahead thanks to milder weather that has reached Ireland.

A thaw is already setting in at the Dublin track and temperatures on race day could reach an high of 13 degrees.

“The frost has virtually all gone at this stage. Milder conditions are moving in from today with some rain tomorrow afternoon and possibly again on Sunday morning,” said Leopardstown general manager Tom Burke.

“Temperatures on Sunday are set to get up to as high as 13 degrees.

“At the moment we are calling the hurdles course yielding and the chase course is yielding to soft.

“The going could change, it all depends on how much rain we get. There are varying predictions on that, so we’ll have to wait and see.”