Monday, June 19th

I travel over today catching the 11.45am iron-bird to Heathrow and, with a smooth trip, I land in my Windsor digs for 2pm. Knockanure, Co Kerry, native Steve Barry and wife and Roscommon native Ann look after me like a lost son for the week and it’s a treat to stay. Steve and Ann were in the pub business for years before retiring and the whole of Windsor town know them.

We tip over to the evening fixture at Windsor, meeting up with plenty of people from home. Our Tyrone and Derry friends Brian Morris, Michelle Bradley, Willis and Donna McLoughlin are always great craic and it’s strange but nice to have no camera and be a racegoer for the evening.

Tuesday, June 20th

I arrive to the track for 9am collecting my accreditation and landing in the media room which is situated in the weighroom building. It’s always busy here with fellow photographers, commentators, TV presenters and personalities all doing their homework ahead of the day’s racing.

Edward Whitaker of the Racing Post is beside me which is great as he makes me laugh. Ed is a typical Englishman and it’s gas during the week how you can spot the little differences in both our cultures.

He doesn’t get my obsession with Kerry football and I don’t get his with Brentford soccer team!

It’s a great day on the track with three Irish winners, two for Aidan O’Brien and one for Willie Mullins. River Tiber in the Coventry and Paddington in the St James’s Palace mean that Aidan now overtakes Sir Michael Stoute as the meetings winning-most trainer with 83 successes. As ye know, Aidan always gives the team around him a mention and today he singles out travelling head Pat Keating for special praise.

Huge week

Travelling the horses over and back each day for the meeting, Pat probably survives on four hours of sleep a day. It’s a huge week for the Ballydoyle team and Pat is a vital cog in that wheel.

Vauban in the final race gives Willie Mullins his ninth Royal Meeting win and the Rich and Susannah Ricci-owned horse is now being aimed at the Melbourne Cup.

The Australian race is an itch that Willie would love to scratch and this could be his best chance yet.

After racing, I head to the car park where Chanelle and A.P. McCoy have a picnic, entertaining what seems like the majority of the Irish continent. I share a few with Richard and Lizzy Hughes, Adrian Regan of Coolmore America, Cavan man and builder Martin Clarke, Ned Kelly, former driver to Stormin’ Norman who is also here with wife Janet, Chips and Ashling, and a big crew from Kerry with Berkie, Spike, Pat Browne, Christy Walsh, the Byrne brothers William and Nolan, and of course, Cahersiveen man Big Muiris.

Wednesday, June 21st

The Royal Meeting now boasts a prize fund of £9.5 million with no race over the five days worth less than £100k.

Growing every year, the Festival is now covered by 25 different broadcasters beaming into six continents.

Of course, this year is a special one for the locals with it being King Charles’ first as reigning monarch making him the 13th monarch to oversee the Royal Meeting, with Queen Anne having founded the racecourse back in 1711 being the first. God, my old history teacher in St Michael’s College, Brian O’Brien, would be proud of me with this stuff!

’Baby Mick’

One Irish winner today with the William Crager-owned Villanova Queen winning for Jessie Harrington, making it four Royal career winners for her while grooms Niamh Deering and ‘Bubba’ Amond lead in jockey Colin ‘Baby Mick’ Keane.

It’s a poignant success for Colin as it’s his first Royal winner and he is quick to think of his colleague Shane ‘Dusty’ Foley who misses out on the victory because of injury.

It’s all swings and roundabouts in the jockey business and it has taken Colin 30 mounts to get in front here. The first of many for him, please God.

The carpark is basking in sunshine this evening with the annual Peter Kelly and Con Marnane tent looking after the Irish masses.

I swop a few bottles with Noel and Derville Meade, Ado and Hazel McGuinness, Puppy and Hannah Power, Kieran ‘Shaggy’ Leavy and Rob Monroe.

Thursday, June 22nd

Day three of the meeting brings Ladies’ Day and the cackle of laughter and a beautiful waft of perfume makes me happy to be alive.

The sun is baking down at a sultry 27 degrees and way down the enclosure at the three-furlong pole, there are gangs and gangs and gangs of ladies pouring into what is now called the Windsor Enclosure. All carrying fold-up chairs, blankets and bags packed with food, I presume. All grabbing their spot on the yellow parched grass lawns. Sure, it’s like Ballybunion without the beach.

The fashion accessory this year seems to be tattoos! Not on their arms, backs or chest but down the back of their legs! Tut Tut, the youth of today!

Resident band Fully Functional are already in full flow at 11.30 this morning and in the Silken Glider Cocktail Bar you can treat yourself to a jug of Paddock Punch for £38.50. A glass of Bellini is £13.50 and a Pimm’s No.1 is £12.50. The Moet & Chandon Bar has a bottle of Grand Vintage for £245, a bottle of Pinot is £35 while a vodka is £6. A pint of Peroni is £7.40 or a pint of Cornish Orchards cider will set you back £7.

A crowd of over 61,000 make it a day to remember and on the track we have two Irish winners, Valiant Force and Warm Heart, a Royal winner with Desert Hero and, of course, racing’s greatest showman Frankie Dettori wins the feature race the Gold Cup aboard Courage Mon Ami. Valiant Force won the Norfolk at odds of 150/1 to give Rathowen, Co Westmeath trainer Adrian Murray a first Royal winner in the colours of Amo Racing, Roger and Rachel O’Callaghan and Robson Aguiar.

“It’s brilliant, I just cannot believe it. I fell into racing by accident, I’m just speechless,” Adrian tells us after his Galway born jockey Rossa Ryan had weighed in.

This evening, I enjoy the hospitality at the Hannon tent, catching up with Tony Gorman and Ross Doyle who bought today’s Buckingham Palace Handicap winner Witch Hunter for the Hannon team from Mick and Sarah Murphy of Longways Stables.

I know I have banged the drum before telling people how fabulous the Royal Meeting is and I make no apology for doing so again. If you haven’t been here, make the effort. You won’t be disappointed. After all it is flat racing’s Crown Jewel.