This weekend's Dublin Racing Festival looks set to survive the incessant recent rainfall after Leopardstown was passed fit for racing on Wednesday.
The wet weather that arrived courtesy of Storm Chandra left the course unraceable on Tuesday, however there was confidence it would be okay for Saturday and Sunday's action.
With declarations for Day 1 due on Thursday morning, IRHB Clerk of the Course Paddy Graffin delivered a positive update this afternoon.
"I'm pleased to say that the track is fit for racing," he said.
"I'm standing in an area that was considered to be the most famous area of any racetrack in Ireland. This looked more like the River Liffey yesterday than a racetrack.
"Trojan work has gone on here, pumping water off into the wooded area next to me... incredible work has gone on, not just here but all the tracks in the last few days when all the country has been struggling with flooding everywhere.
"In my opinion the chase track is soft. It could dry a little bit into tomorrow but at the moment, soft.
"The hurdle track would have been watered during the summertime, I'd call that heavy. When I say heavy, I mean loose."
Update from @LeopardstownRC with @ihrb_ie Clerk of the Course, Paddy Graffin, ahead of declarations tomorrow morning for Day 1 of the Dublin Racing Festival
— IHRB (@ihrb_ie) January 28, 2026
The track is fit for racing
Live on @RTEsport and @RacingTV pic.twitter.com/rHEJt9ERZ0
There will be eight Grade One races staged over two days at Leopardstown, with a bank holiday crowd of up to 35,000 anticipated for what continues to be one of the highlights of the National Hunt season.
"We've had a further 6mm (of rain) since the update yesterday, and that's a toal of 170mm - quite incredible rainfall overt the last 12 days," added Graffin.
"We have a little bit of rain between here and the weekend... anything from 10mm to 20mm, most of that coming Thursday night into Friday morning, with mainly dry (weather) throughout most of Friday into Saturday morning. If that's right we're confident that won't pose any problems. We're in a really good place here."
Watch the Dublin Racing Festival on Saturday and Sunday from 1pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
