AS point-to-point racing in Britain paved a path to its return with the publication of a revised fixture list which will now run from March 13th through to June 12th, there remains much uncertainty about a potential return of the sport on this side of the Irish Sea.

When point-to-pointing was suspended earlier this month, much of the speculation about what had brought the sport to a stop centered around a separate bid by the Irish Coursing Club to gain a High Court injunction which would allow coursing to resume during the current Covid-19 restrictions. Earlier this week that bid failed when Ms Justice Niamh Hyland delivered her verdict on the case, however owners and handlers within point-to-pointing remain in the dark about when a resumption is likely.

The matter was raised in a Dáil sitting last week by the Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill who expressed his concerns over the effects of the suspension.

Shop window

“Our whole National Hunt breeding industry will be severely impacted. Point-to-point racing is the shop window for selling the majority of our National Hunt young horses,” said Deputy Cahill.

“This will have a severe impact on all sales during the summer for three-year-olds down to yearlings and foals. There are severe financial implications for the whole National Hunt industry.”

In response, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, who was representing the government during the Dáil sitting, acknowledged the concerns of Deputy Cahill and other elected representatives who had raised the issue directly with him, and requested the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue to provide a detailed response on the matter.

Gerry Kelleher, chairman of the Irish Point-to-Point Handlers Association, has welcomed the suspension being raised in the Dáil as handlers continue in their efforts to lobby politicians across the country.

Vital industry

“We are doing as much as we can whilst understanding the seriousness of the situation that the country is in, but it is a vital industry,” said Kelleher. “It is the foundation of the National Hunt industry. It is a sport for the general public who would go along to it and enjoy their day out, but for 90% of handlers it is their business, and it is a very serious business. The whole thing is in jeopardy at the moment because of the point-to-points being stopped.

“This is also a welfare issue. You just can’t leave horses standing in their stables for six weeks or stick them out in the field where there is no grass, they all have to be exercised and cared for. There are bills each month for owners – feed, farrier, vets – these bills all have to be paid and if the industry stops it effects everyone from top to bottom.

“We have made contact with numerous politicians and have been well received, they are very sympathetic to the cause and are working on our behalf, but it is a numbers game at the moment and it is encouraging to see the case numbers dropping in the last couple of days.

“As a group we understand the seriousness of Covid and we are not taking that for granted because we know it is a serious problem, but at the same time there was an autumn campaign run off by the IHRB and the hunt committees that went very well, and as far as I know I have not heard of any outbreak of Covid at any of the point-to-point fixtures.

“The aim is to make contact with the people who make the decisions to get point-to-pointing back as soon as we can. We know that it might not happen in the next week or two but if it was to go beyond March 1st, it will be a disaster, the whole National Hunt industry that will be in trouble.

“It is a conveyor belt and this is putting a stop onto the whole thing that will go down all the way to the foals or the man with the one broodmare. It could be massive and this is very worrying.

“I would encourage all handlers and anyone involved in point-to-pointing to also contact their local TDs as the more politicians that are aware of the situation and are looking into it the better.”

As the period of uncertainty extends, more and more horses with hunter certificates are appearing on racecards for rules fixtures and the Macroom handler has been left with no option to follow suit with his leading open performer.

“I have Macs Legend entered in Limerick on Tuesday in an 80-95 handicap hurdle and the intention is that he will run. He is an out and out point-to-point horse but he is 13 years old now and he is not getting any younger to be waiting around with.”