THIS is certainly not what I envisaged I would be doing on what should have been the week of the 2020 Punchestown Festival.

Instead, in these unprecedented times, the stands remain deserted, the roar of the crowd is a distant memory, the winner’s enclosure lacks excitement, the hustle and bustle of the betting ring is non-existent, and every seat is vacant as the racecourse lies motionless. I am taking some solace from the fact that, while everything else has changed, the unique weather pattern which Punchestown has become synonymous with has remained unaltered!