THERE are times when the pace of change in Irish horse racing can seem glacial at best and with that in mind it has been interesting to review the 2019 fixture list which was released last week.

One of the major talking points arising from next year’s calendar is the increase in the number of racing free Sundays in the summer from three to five. Brian Kavanagh, CEO of HRI, remarked that “consideration has also been taken of the needs of the industry’s workforce’’ with regard to more blank Sundays and earlier finishing times (8.45pm) at evening fixtures.