WHAT a rollercoaster of a week. The bad news seemed to outweigh the good, such as it was, and I sit down to write this on Friday hoping that the words of a song by D:Ream soon come to pass. You know them – ‘things can only get better, only get better, if we see it through’.

The Brexit debacle, for there is no better way to describe it, is a nightmare for those reliant on the smooth movement of horses to and from Ireland, using Britain as a destination or point of origin, or as a land bridge to travel further.

Not unique

Lack of clarity, differing interpretations of the rules, and more besides, is going to have an effect on our business and sport if matters are not sorted – and soon.

Don’t for a moment imagine that these problems are unique to our sector. I have had two instances of goods coming to me from England. In one case, the supplier gave up on trying to get a small item over and refunded me. In the second, a box of family items, with no commercial value of any kind, was subject to a €59 charge. In neither case was ‘buying local’ an option.

We have extensive coverage of the whole Brexit scenario this week but it comes with a caveat – all could change. Indeed, hopefully much will change and we can streamline the movement of stock.

The second downer of the week was the news that trainer Charles Byrnes has been issued with a fine and a suspension of his licence for six months, though he has since lodged an appeal.

Again, this is a stain on the Irish racing landscape and one that will provide fodder for comment, even if the instance is, thankfully, a rare one.

Colin Keane

On the flip side, and in the good news column, Thursday night will see the RTÉ Sport Awards 2020 presented, and this week the Sportsperson of the Year nominees were revealed. In a year when all sport was severely disrupted, there were still many highlights, and the six finalists includes a figure from racing.

Take a bow Colin Keane. The Co. Meath man was crowned Ireland’s champion flat jockey for a second time, claimed two classic victories on the way to this year’s crown, winning the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas on Siskin and the Juddmonte Irish Oaks on Even So, and if that was not enough for a memorable year, Colin topped off the season with a Breeders’ Cup win on Tarnawa.