BOOKMAKER Brian Keenan was on course at both Leopardstown and the Curragh last weekend and was left disappointed by attendance levels at the Dublin track, while being delighted with the improvements that the Curragh have made.

The prominent layer had a tough opening day of the festival - Ryan Moore’s winners in particular put a dent in the bag. However, bigger-priced winners on Sunday saw him recoup some losses.

“We were slightly in the red overall,” said Keenan. “We had a bad day on Saturday. We paid the price for taking on Ryan Moore twice and I kept Nashwa on side as I fancied her, so that was a bit of a sucker punch. Adelaide River was our biggest loss, though - that was my worst individual result in a good while. We made some inroads on Sunday but not enough to get us back in the green overall for the weekend.”

Official betting ring figures from HRI show that Leopardstown’s activity was down almost €70,000 on 2022 and the Curragh’s turnover was up in the region of €185,000. Brian believes the drop in attendance at Leopardstown ultimately had a knock-on effect on his turnover.

“At Leopardstown on Saturday, individually, we experienced a 20% reduction in the overall figure for bets taken,” he explained. “It’s a bit disappointing considering the quality of racing and the weather. Then Sunday was the opposite. We were up 10% versus last year. It’s a pity that the racecourse in the middle of Dublin can’t get more people through the gate. I’m not trying to be overly critical there but the atmosphere just felt a bit dead and flat. The racing was class so the attendance was just a bit disappointing in that regard.

“The fact that the feature race was sponsored by Royal Bahrain might have had an impact. Royal Bahrain doesn’t really have a footprint in the country. Say if it was a Paddy Power or a Diageo sponsoring it, you might see increased footfall simply because it’s marketed better and they are bigger names in Ireland with a larger reach.”

Brian insists that clear improvements have been made at the Curragh this year and maintains that the Co Kildare team are on the right track to return to the levels they previously operated at.

“I do have to give great credit to the Curragh,” said Keenan. “In years gone by there have been plenty of critics of the Curragh, myself included - and rightly so as well. They had a bad run of it for a while, but they have seemed to turn a corner this year and last weekend especially. They are building momentum there and they seem to be on the road back towards something like they used to be.”

Irish National Professional Bookmakers Association chairman Ray Mulvaney holds similar views regarding the attendance and atmosphere at the two tracks.

“Leopardstown certainly could have done more,” he said. “Maybe they could have done more to promote the presence of Frankie Dettori. The fact is they had great weather and great racing, it’s hard to grasp why they can’t get a bigger crowd. The Curragh is definitely making gains this year, connecting with the locals. Punters who had previously been absent from the Curragh are coming back. Business was good and the results were good too.”