Adverse weather conditions have resulted in the cancellation of the Whitegate Pony Races for a second time within the last week.
With large volumes of rain forecast for this Friday in addition to the recent wet conditions, the Whitegate racecourse remains waterlogged.
The race meeting, which was due to start at 1 pm this Sunday, May 14 has been cancelled and rescheduled for Sunday, June 14 next.
Last Saturday, committee members decided to call off the races, which were due to be held the following day and immediately informed the Midlands Horse and Pony Association to give participants as much notice as possible.
This was previously flagged as the main headline event of May Bank Holiday Festival in Whitegate, which attracted large crowds to the locality.
Equine enthusiasts from places like Cork, Dingle, Kenmare, Claremorris, Kildare and all over the country were preparing to flock to Whitegate for the nine-race card involving between 60 and 70 ponies.
These races at Dromaan overlooking Lough Derg have gone from strength to strength since they were revived four years ago and were due to be one of the main feature events this weekend.
Councillor Pat Burke acknowledged the cancellation was a huge disappointment for the race participants and the local community following all their preparatory work.
Dan Danaher
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.