THE unveiling of the 2020 fixture list didn’t bring with it too many surprises last week with perhaps the most notable development seeing the Derby meeting switch to its traditional Friday to Sunday position and Listowel’s Harvest Festival moving to a late September slot.

Perhaps most interesting of all though, was the decision to maintain the number of blank Sunday slots at six. In terms of the demands placed on stable staff throughout the year this is an entirely sensible and logical step and it makes further sense when one takes into account other factors.