HRI aiming for Irish Guineas to go ahead on scheduled dates in May

Horse Racing Ireland boss Brian Kavanagh does not expect Irish racing to return this month but the governing body is working on the basis that the first Irish Classics of the year will take place on their scheduled dates in May.

Kavanagh qualified all of his comments with the proviso that HRI will only proceed with a resumption of racing once it has the blessing of the government's medical advisers.

Nonetheless, in the wake of the first four Classics of the British season being postponed at best, the racing industry will take some encouragement from the fact that the authorities in Ireland have not felt compelled to follow suit.