ON a high following their hugely successful toalsbet.com Ulster National race-day, those working at or involved with Downpatrick Racecourse were totally downhearted last Saturday when discovering that the iconic statues of horses on the piers of the main gates had been stolen overnight.

This is the second time that the Marly statues, which resemble those near the Place de la Concorde in Paris, have been stolen and racecourse manager Richard Lyttle and his team are hoping that they will be recovered safely once again. They have asked members of the public to assist them, and the PSNI, in this regard.