Two greyhound race meetings have been called off and eight others have been delayed due to the ongoing heatwave across Ireland.
Citing animal welfare, the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) have called off racing at Youghal and Longford on Friday, which has the knock-on effect of postponing the €10,000 Longford Greyhound Derby final.
Meetings at Clonmel, Cork, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Newbridge, Tralee and Waterford have been delayed by one hour to allow for cooler temperatures to ensure the welfare of greyhounds.
Racing at Shelbourne Park and Dundalk Stadium on Friday will proceed as planned.
Following the high-temperature warning issued by Met Éireann, the IGB took the decision to suspended all racing and trials between 10.0am and 7.30pm each day with immediate effect.
They say all meetings are being reviewed subject to changing weather patterns and local conditions throughout the weekend.
According to an IGB staement: "The measures follow best welfare practices that are routinely followed during sharp temperature changes."
IGB CEO Gerard Dollard added: "‘To cancel trials or racing can be a great inconvenience to owners and our customers but the welfare of greyhounds comes first in all operational decisions.
"Staff at all tracks have been advised to supplement existing operational arrangements during this heatwave to ensure welfare considerations are fully taken into account."
Temperatures in excess of 30 degrees have been registered in parts of Ireland ad the fine weather is due to continue into the weekend at least.
