Horse racing fixture called off due to not enough rain

We're all familiar with sporting fixtures being postponed due to excessive rainfall and waterlogged pitches. This is Ireland, after all.

However, a horse racing fixture scheduled for Thurles tomorrow (Thursday, October 17) has been postponed for an unexpected reason - "insufficient rain".

Horse Racing Ireland has announced that the meeting has been cancelled "due to a dry spell of weather and a forecast of insufficient rain".

Whatever about an occasional summer heatwave causing a racing track to be unsuitable for action, it seems highly unusual for a dry spell and "insufficient rain" to cause an October race meeting to be called off.

But that is what has happened in this instance and the meeting at the Tipperary course will now be held on Thursday, November 14.

Given the vagaries of the Irish weather, let's hope heavy rainfall - rather than the lack of it - doesn't strike next month and cause the meeting to be postponed a second time!