Mr. Darragh O'Loughlin:

The point-to-point season, as defined, begins in October and concludes at the end of May. The season is significantly longer now than it was a couple of years ago, with a finite number of fixtures and ,therefore, the decision taken by the national hunt stewards was that the season should conclude at the end of May because to drag it out any longer would mean stretching the season and the people involved. Without the additional fixtures, there was not much extra benefit. Unfortunately, the bank holiday weekend in June falls after the end of May and, by definition, outside of the season as it is defined. My understanding, however, is that the organisers of that event in Kinsale were offered weekends in May when those races could be held and would be supported. Unfortunately, every sport has an end date on its season. We have even seen the GAA shortening the football and hurling seasons. Once a season has ended, no more fixtures can take place. There is additional risk involved in this case because the ground tends to get drier as the year progresses. Additional costs are also associated with watering that regard. For various reasons, therefore, the season is fixed-----