Waterlogged Fairyhouse calls off classy card

Ashley Iveson
November 4, 2019 4:00 pm

Rain puts Honeysuckle return on hold.

Tuesday’s quality card at Fairyhouse has been cancelled because of a waterlogged track.

The National Hunt fixture was due to stage the reappearance of Henry de Bromhead’s Grade One-winning mare Honeysuckle, who was set to put her unbeaten record on the line in the two-and-a-half-mile www.fairyhouse.ie Hurdle.

However, with the course currently unfit for racing and no prospect of significant improvement, officials have been left with no option but to call off proceedings.

The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board posted on Twitter: “Following a further 30mm of rain since this morning and with rain currently falling and more expected through tonight, the Fairyhouse fixture scheduled for tomorrow has been cancelled.”

Also due to run at Fairyhouse was Gordon Elliott’s potential future star Andy Dufresne.

Bought for £330,000 after winning an Irish point-to-point, the JP McManus-owned five-year-old could not have been more impressive when making a successful debut under Rules in a Down Royal bumper in late January.

Andy Dufresne is quoted for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the Ballymore and the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival in March – and had been set to kick off his jumping career under rules over two and a half miles in the Fairyhouse Easter Saturday Maiden Hurdle.