TODAY sees the start of the second half of 2017. In the first half of the year this column has covered all of the racecourses in Ireland, with the exception of Laytown. This unique venue stages a single day of racing on the beach, and should be a date in your diary for the first week in September.

As part of this series, which will recommence next week, I set myself the challenge of visiting all the Irish courses on a raceday in 2017. With the excellent news that Sligo looks set to race again shortly, this challenge will hopefully be fully completed in October.