Never too early to look for clues as Flat season opens
Alan Sweetman brings you the view from Ireland
March, very soft ground, only seven races. And yet there is no harm in looking to Sunday's opening meeting of the Irish Flat turf season for clues.
With the advent of all-weather racing at Dundalk, a general improvement of facilities at training establishments and a perceptible trend towards milder winters, the nature of the early part of the Irish season has changed.
In the old days you would hear a lot about bad winters, waterlogged gallops and the associated hardships involved in getting horses ready for the one-time traditional St Patrick's Day start. Excuses are less valid these days, though the beginning of the season continues to set specific problems for punters.
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