TO borrow a phrase, it all comes down to this: everyone inside racing thinks Leopardstown and the Curragh should be packed to the rafters for Irish Champions Festival, but the public begs to differ.
The racing is top-notch, the weather is usually decent, the facilities are good and the ticket price is no more than for any other marquee meeting.
And yet here we are, 10 years into the meeting and the crowd figures have flatlined. Leopardstown gets about half the crowd it gets for Christmas or the Dublin Racing Festival in February. Sunday’s Curragh crowd was 24% lower than on Irish Derby day.
Leopardstown, in particular, has come in for a lot of flak over the lack of a festival atmosphere on Saturday. It’s very hard to define atmosphere or to suggest ways in which you can create a ‘buzz’.
Bookmaker Anthony Kaminskas (AKBets) says there was a better atmosphere at Laytown on Monday and he believes it could be because people are forced to stand together in an enclosed space. “Being forced to share the experience with the stranger standing beside you is probably an underestimated factor in creating atmosphere,” he reckons. “It’s not what you want if you are a millionaire, but the vast majority of people like it.”
Walking into Leopardstown before racing last Saturday, this cynic was dreading the inevitable welcoming party of drummers and clowns and well-intentioned helpers inside the main entrance, but then… they weren’t there.
The Goffs Sale before racing was also dropped and there didn’t seem to be any best dressed event. None of these elements, on their own, are significant but their absence – with no apparent replacement sideshows – seemed strange for a meeting that needed an extra push.
The marquee in the main enclosure was busy all day, but anyone queuing for a drink there could have saved themselves time by popping over to the Food Hall (Club 92) or the Legacy Wine Bar (old weighroom) which were eerily quiet.
It was lively in the Pavilion, where there about 30 tables filled, both upstairs and downstairs. On the track, we were treated to two of the best Group 1s run anywhere in the world this year – and credit must go to those who played a part in getting the Japanese runner and the World Pool engagement. These elements won’t be appreciated by the general public, but they are very important in terms of revenue and international prestige, which leads to more revenue.
There were four World Pool races on Sunday at the Curragh, where there seemed to be more of that elusive ‘atmosphere’ in the air.
Entertainment
You had the Artane Band in the grandstand, country and western music in the garden marquee, the Newbridge Gospel Choir in the Grand Hall, and kids’ entertainment outdoors. There seemed to be something for everyone, except the best dressed, but never mind.
Some were watching the soccer and golf in the Derby Bar, others clinking flutes in the Champagne Bar. Food options were plentiful and the Curragh has comfortable seats everywhere you look.
Both racecourses put on Treo Eile/retired racehorse parades, but the Curragh one was presented better. Contrary to what you might think, it seems easier to broadcast a message to all racegoers at the Curragh than it is at Leopardstown.
In fact, the speakers in the Leopardstown grandstand are still poor. In the cheap seats, you cannot hear the commentaries at all – the speakers seem to be facing out into the betting ring rather than the stand.
Despite all these criticisms, I’d say the vast majority of those who went racing on Saturday and Sunday enjoyed their day and will come back. Let’s hope they all bring a friend.