Tramore meeting postponed as Ireland prepares for arrival of Storm Barra

Tuesday's seven-race jumps card at Tramore has been postponed until Thursday after a red weather warning was issued for parts of Ireland due to the imminent arrival of Storm Barra.

Officials at the County Waterford venue had been in consultation with the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board over whether the fixture will take place, with neighbouring County Cork, as well as Kerry, issued the highest level of weather warning by Met Eireann for 6am to 9pm on Tuesday.

An orange weather warning will be in place in six other counties, including Waterford, from 6am on Tuesday until 6am on Wednesday. Racing was scheduled to get under way at 12.40pm.

Tramore: seaside venue set to host fixture on ThursdayCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

In a statement shared on the IHRB's Twitter account at 5.40pm on Monday evening, clerk of the course Paddy Graffin said: "The weather forecast has got worse as the day has gone on and we are now faced with the risk of high winds and gusts which could reach up to 130kph during race time.

"Following numerous conversations with various stakeholders today and with Met Eireann, we felt it was prudent to make an early call to postpone the fixture in the interest of safety for all participants and those who may have been planning to travel to Tramore tomorrow."

He added: "Thanks to the cooperation of others, we are now in a position to host the meeting on Thursday and we will have a ground update before fresh declarations are made on Tuesday morning."

All tickets purchased for Tuesday's fixture will be valid for Thursday's rescheduled date, with the first race off at 12.35pm.

Ground conditions at Tramore on Monday morning were soft on the hurdles course and yielding, soft in places on the chase course, following 17mm of rain overnight.

According to Met Eireann's warning, coastal flooding is expected due to a combination of high waves, storm surges and high tides, with disruption to power and travel likely.

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