Leopardstown's authorities are busy gearing up for the prestigious Christmas festival but longer term plans for a major facelift to Dublin's only racecourse remain at a developmental stage with construction not likely to begin until 2009 at the earliest.
Designs for different development options, including the building of a new grandstand, are currently being finalised before being presented to the board of Horse Racing Ireland for approval.
Delays to the start of work on the 100 million new Curragh facility have also not helped plans at Leopardstown as there is a reluctance for both major courses to be worked on at the same time and the south Dublin track could be closed for up to 15 months under present plans.
"There are various options under consideration such as tearing down everything and starting again or refurbishing elements that are already there," said Leopardstown's manager Tom Burke yesterday. "But nothing will be happening during 2007 in terms of work beginning."
HRI's chief executive of the Property & Commercial Division, Matt O'Dwyer, also confirmed there will be no work on the ground next year and said that plans have been "pushed out" due to work at the Curragh.
"We're at a stage now where we're looking at final drawings of designs for what we want to do. They then will have to before the board for approval. But there are potentially different variations to what can be done at Leopardstown," he said.
In the shorter term, Noel Meade confirmed yesterday that Aran Concerto, the horse the champion trainer believes could be the best he has ever had, will run in Sunday's Barry & Sandra Kelly Novices Hurdle at Navan.
Just eight entries remain in the Grade One event which last year saw Travino beat Meade's subsequent SunAlliance winner Nicanor in a close finish. "He's a nice horse and he'll run on Sunday. He is going to make a better chaser in time but still seems to be doing fairly well at the moment," Meade said. "Fingers crossed, he keeps progressing and going the right way." Meade also reported that his mercurial hurdler Harchibald is back in full work after the setback that kept him from running in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle last month.
"He is sound at the moment but we will have to see if he will make Christmas or not. If he does go for a race at Christmas it is likely to be the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton," he said.
Last weekend's John Durkan winner In Compliance could miss out on Christmas racing entirely after his trainer Michael O'Brien ruled out a trip to Kempton for the King George VI Chase and also put into a doubt another clash with War Of Attrition in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown.
Instead O'Brien is considering giving In Compliance a break until February's Hennessy Gold Cup and then preparing the horse for Cheltenham.
One definite Irish runner in the King George, however, will be Hi Cloy, fifth in the John Durkan, and who will be ridden by Andrew McNamara at Kempton.
Limerick have announced details for their four-day Christmas festival which will have 500,000 available in prizemoney and the authorities there hope to attract over 40,000 people over the holiday period. The feature is the Grade Two Guinness Greenmount Park Chase worth 55,000 while the third day highlight will be the Grade 3 ladbrokes Dorans Pride Hurdle.
Tommy Stack is primarily a flat trainer but Red Rum's former jockey always likes to keep his hand in the winter game and he introduces two exciting jumping recruits at Gowran Park today.
Perce Rock, an expensive purchase by JP McManus after winning a bumper last January, subsequently showed loads of promise when fourth to Hairy Molly at Cheltenham and gets his jumping career under way in the maiden hurdle.
Conor O'Dwyer takes the ride today and he could be attempting to complete a quick McManus double after Disclosure's first jumping start in the juvenile hurdle.
Barry Geraghty gets the leg up on this one who has been bought by the champion owner after a flat career that yielded a soft ground success at Thurles last March.
