RACING behind closed doors does have some perks for those of us fortunate enough to be allowed access.

Since racing resumed in June, the small number of racing photographers who are working at the track are able to drive right into the enclosures and park beside whatever building we have been allocated. You don’t have to carry your equipment more than 10 yards, which I will miss when this is over!

Galway Racecourse is also spoiling us with a big media room in the Tote hall underneath the champagne bar. Everyone has their own station and we are well spaced out. There is also a good quality food offering available from Lydons, which I think the racecourse must have subsidised.

My daily workload is much the same. The only thing missing is the racegoers. After every race, I have to download images from my camera to the laptop, edit them and send them. It’s great to be busy as I’d hate to be hanging around. Every now and then you stop to think how strange it is not to have the public here. But the really weird thing at this stage is that it doesn’t feel weird anymore. We’ve become used to it.

The highlight for me on Monday evening was Finny Maguire’s big win. His parents are good friends of mine and four years ago Finny came to stay with me on the Curragh when he began working for Dermot Weld. Finny stayed in the house, on and off, for four years and was a joy to have around. He has moved on now and I was delighted to see him win such a prestigious race. It was a shame Adrian and Sabrina couldn’t be there but we got some lovely photos of the occasion.

Patrick Mullins is also a good pal and, while his wait for a first win in the amateur handicap continues, at least he won the closing race on the card.

I stay in Loughrea every year with my friend Chanelle McCoy and her mum Mary Burke and of course traffic is no problem this time. Usually I would go into Galway city for a meal at least one evening after racing and will keep up the tradition this year but perhaps to Moran’s Of The Weir instead.

Ballybrit may be empty but ironically the west is mobbed with tourists. I often take a few days’ holidays in the area after Galway but this year I am going to leave it until late August when hopefully the weather picks up and the world is a bit more like the one we used to know.