FAIRYHOUSE manager Peter Roe got a shock when he opened the racecard for last Saturday’s Bobbyjo Chase fixture. Unknown to Peter, his colleagues had slipped in a page to announce his 50th birthday. No doubt this proved a distraction during racing as he received congratulations at every turn, but there was more to follow.

Operations manager Gillian Carey reported: “We caught Peter out nicely with the racecard page but it wasn’t so easy to keep the cake and very large ‘50’ balloons hidden during racing! Peter knew there was something going on when all the staff and his wife arrived into the parade ring when the horses were about to leave for the last race. He had nowhere to run at that stage!”