Thursday’s race meeting at Thurles has been cancelled “due to insufficient rain”, with the track deemed unsuitable for National Hunt racing, according to Horse Racing Ireland.

This is the second time in a fortnight that a lack of rain has forced the abandonment of racing at the Co Tipperary venue, this after an inspection on Tuesday morning.

A statement from HRI’s clerk of the course Lorcan Wyer, said: “Unfortunately, due to the unseasonably dry weather we have had this month, there has been insufficient rain at Thurles and the track is unsuitable for National Hunt racing.

“We did have 10mm of rain here since entries last Thursday but during my routine inspection this morning the track was unsuitable for jump racing. With not enough rainfall due between now and racing we have had to make the difficult decision to cancel the fixture scheduled for Thursday.

“We will work with Horse Racing Ireland to find a suitable date to reschedule this meeting.”