Horse Racing Ireland has announced the Irish 2019/2020 National Hunt season has come to a close and that the Fairyhouse and Punchestown Festivals will not be rescheduled. Instead an enhanced National Hunt programme from October to December 2020 will be revealed later this year and it is intended to include in that programme the 2020 BoyleSports Irish Grand National. The HRI have developed a number of fixture and race programme scenarios, which they hope will ensure a return when a restart date becomes clearer. A HRI statement read: "The Board of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) met today and in response to the need to provide as much clarity as possible to the racing industry, in very uncertain times, the Board agreed it was prudent to bring the 2019/2020 National Hunt season to a close at this point. Brian Kavanagh, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, said: "Like many other sectors, the racing and breeding industry in Ireland will take a seismic economic blow from the fall-out of Covid-19.

Source: Irish Independent April 01, 2020 15:56 UTC