IT was a day to beware of global ‘winding’ rather than global warming at the Curragh for Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby day.

Certainly, Headpiece needed plenty of cover and Flowing Skirt needed to be held together while Short Skirt would have been out with the washing. No Skirt was a no-show, gone instead to Longitude, judging from the queue of teenage girls in the Applegreen station on the way down!

“Is it ever warm here?” one girl complained in passing. The ladies did turn up in their finery and there was a nice feel to the day, away from the wind.

It looked even better on TV, their podium has a good backdrop and cameras on the balconies showed it all off well.

A queue on the exit from the M7 was a good thing this time – the Curragh doesn’t get too many queues. My tardy arrival is greeted by a “carparks are all full” instruction, so it was back into the old front hill spots. The 2023 Sunday Derby attendance figure is 10,897, which is lower than 2018, ’19 and ’22, though not everyone believes those figures. Some 12,821 saw Latrobe win at the new ‘in transition’ Curragh in 2019 – and 25,225 were at the ‘old’ Curragh for Jack Hobbs in 2015. The overall three-day figures are up on last year though.

Improvements

The public are definitely better catered for inside and out, improvements have been made in the bottom great hall and much more seating, all availed of.

The new Festival Quarter and marquee, though not full on Derby Day, is a good addition with food outlets and big screens and a betting pitch before music set up afterwards. It also offers a nice view of part of the pre-parade ring from outside seating. The three lads in the Queen’s Room coffee counter are on the ball, serving coffee, charging phones, and though access in and out is tight, the queue moves quickly.

Visability, though is still a 50/1 shot for the general racegoer who does not get his paddock side spot taken early. While it made some sense to move the winner’s enclosure to the centre of the parade ring, with the few sets of portable stands/steps taking up prime position, it is still pretty impossible to see if three deep, unless for those privileged few in early positions. From the steps up to and around the outside balcony it is better, though even there one gentleman was still using his binoculars.

Harry’s Hill is a popular home win for the Hassetts in the Rockingham.

On TV, before the big one, Jane Mangan remarks on the favourite’s appearance – perfectly groomed. That’s the horse, though Jane is good too. “Just a regular ring bit, no gadgets, no fancy noseband.”

The new Curragh anthem is sung with gusto and might get better as we get to know a few lines. Cheers turn to gasps in the Derby as Wayne Lordan goes flying off the strickened San Antonio on the bend.

In end, the winning margin is a length and a half to the half a length Auguste Rodin won by at Epsom, but Epsom was a more impressive performance. Two out, he looked about to go clear and away in the manner of those previous great dual Derby winners but Adelaide River stayed where he was.

On Luck On Sunday on RacingTV, Seamie Heffernan had been asked by the host “What impact do you reckon you could have on Adelaide River?”

Heff replied: “Hmmm, I’m only hoping for a good run.” When pressed on if it could “be a rabbit out of the hat, Heffernan special?”, the reply was, “it sounds good but unlikely.”

A furlong down, the rabbit or hare was still very much there. If the Heff ever appears before PAC, nothing will be given away!

Asked by Nick Luck what made the Ballydoyle number two special, Ger Lyons said: “Intelligence, he knew he was in the best job in racing, bar none.” Seamie replied: “Ger has me sussed.”

As the Derby hero is acclaimed in the winner’s enclosure, a gentleman beside me comments: “€700,000, easy money,” Add the second and third €250,000 and €125,000, and that’s rich pickings for Ballydoyle. In the stable yard, four big Coolmore branded horse lorries sit along the walkway. There’s one little two-horse one with W.P. Mullins on it! It’s different times.

It was a nice day, a nice crowd and a nice winner. There’s not really much to complain about though ATMs not working was an annoyance. There was more positive comments on social media than in recent years. Ruby Walsh summed up on the TV, saying “They have been building bridges, going forward.”

On the way home, RTE Sunday Sport had a discussion on the condensed GAA season. One contributor stated today was fine for coverage because there was no other sport on. Ahem?

Attendance: 10,897

2022: 11,242

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Tote: ?

2022: €477,322

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Overall festival attendance: 23,653

2022: 18,970

Bookmakers: ?

2022: ?

Tote: ?

2022: €1,088,518