Mullins 'gobsmacked' and Elliott 'disgusted' as Navan card is not rescheduled

Willie Mullins has said he is "gobsmacked" that Sunday's Navan card, featuring a Grade 2 novice hurdle, has not been rescheduled for this Thursday, while Gordon Elliott has also spoken of his anger at the fixture being lost.

The Grade 2 Navan Novice Hurdle, won by the likes of Bellshill, Mikael D'Haguenet and Solerina, has been moved to Naas on Tuesday, while the rated novice chase has been switched to Fairyhouse on Wednesday, but Ireland's top two trainers are unhappy the entire card – lost to the weather – has not been saved.

Mullins said: "I'm disappointed that Navan has not been transferred to Thursday, I think everybody in the industry is gobsmacked that it isn't and wondering why.

"Why are we losing a whole day's racing? We haven't had racing for the last couple of weeks and it's very disappointing. A lot of people are very disappointed.

Willie Mullins: 'It's a very important meeting – why has it not been transferred to another day?'Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

"There have been a lot of phone calls going around this morning wondering why it hasn't been rescheduled. It's a very important meeting – why has it not been transferred to another day?

"We were starved of racing last week. People are crying out for racing and the weather forecast is good. We have horses ready to run, it's baffling."

Elliott said: "We've had a full week of no racing and yet we can't reschedule a very important meeting? It makes no sense.

"Thursday would have been an ideal day for it. The weather and ground would be perfect and it's a blank day in the calendar. It's very frustrating and I cannot understand it."

Horse Racing Ireland's director of racing Jason Morris defended the decision not to move the meeting to Thursday, saying it was not feasible.

"We couldn't reschedule it for logistical and resourcing reasons having already added back in three meetings this coming week at Punchestown, Naas and Fairyhouse," he said.

"Hence we saved the two races which don’t have equivalent opportunities coming up over the Christmas period, as well as increasing the prize-money of the three-mile handicap hurdle at Leopardstown."

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