Fairyhouse will host a point-to-point race day in November in order to give owners and trainers additional opportunities following the loss of a number of races in the Hunter Chase and Point-to-Point Bumper category in the spring.
The Tipperary and Cork point-to-point fixtures were lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic which left a significant hole in the race programme for those horses and this void is being filled by Horse Racing Ireland in response to a request by the Point-to-Point Handlers Association.
The November 10th fixture at the Grade 1 venue in Co. Meath will take place on the inner track and play host to a seven-race card restricted to qualified riders.
Three Hunter Chases will take centre stage on the card – they are a Hunter Chase for horses that have not won under rules since March 1st 2020, a Maiden Hunter Chase and a Mares Maiden Hunter Chase.
All three races will take place over a distance that is just shy of three miles.
Two point-to-point bumpers over two miles will also take place, one each for mares, and colts and geldings, with two handicap hurdles completing the race programme for the fixture.
The first of this pair of two and-a-half mile hurdle races will be restricted to qualified riders that have not lost their seven-pound claim, with the second featuring the Irish versus UK Qualified Riders Challenge.
The two other Hunter Chases programmed for the remainder of 2020 are the traditional Christmas contests at Down Royal and Limerick.
