Authority should follow BHA lead as suspension adds to pressure across the sport

The uncertainty surrounding the likely return date for point-to-pointing in Ireland is unsurprisingly leading to a greater sense of anxiety among handlers up and down the country.

In a normal year, the entries would be opening up on Friday for the first four-year-old maidens of the new year, which were due to have been held at Ballinaboola, Bellharbour and Tallow on Sunday week.

But this is far from a normal year, with the timing of the ongoing suspension beginning to seep into this crucial section of the season when handlers introduce their latest recruits.