European horse racing has been once again hit by cold weather today as the meetings at Gowran Park, Ireland, and Ludlow, UK, have had to be abandoned on Thursday 20th January 2011.
Ludlow fell to a heavy frost, and failed to pass an inspection at 09:30am, while, over the Irish Sea, Gowran Park was called off earlier for the same reason.
UK meetings at Taunton, Lingfield Park and Wolverhampton do, however, go ahead, while many international racing fans turn their attention to Meydan, in the United Arab Emirates, as the Dubai International Racing Carnival 2011 continues at the all-new purpose built track.
In This Story: Ireland
Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George’s Channel.
Geopolitically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. As of 2016, 4.8 million people live in the Republic of Ireland, and 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.
The Irish climate is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and thus very moderate, and winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area, although summers are cooler than those in continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant.
A strong Irish culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music and the Irish language. The island’s culture shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing, and golf.
The United Arab Emirates, sometimes simply called the Emirates, is a sovereign state in Western Asia located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders Oman and Saudi Arabia, and has maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran.