Irish racing could return on June 8 as officials lobby for clarity on resumption

Horse Racing Ireland's radio silence continued on Tuesday but behind the scenes officials are hopeful of a compromise that would see Irish racing resume behind closed doors from June 8.

The sport's governing body has communicated nothing of note following the shock development on Friday night when Taoiseach Leo Varadkar unveiled the government's roadmap for lifting Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, with behind-closed-doors sports events pushed back to phase three, which kicks in on June 29.

That information void has infuriated stakeholders who had been led to believe a May resumption was on the cards. Initially, when it was revealed on Friday some sporting activities and outdoor work would resume when phase one initiates on May 18, it was hoped racing would fall into that bracket.