THE 2021 flat season on the turf in Ireland gets underway at the Curragh next Sunday. For now, racing will continue to operate behind closed doors.

As readers of this column will have seen on a very regular basis, sponsors have by and large stayed with the sport, and this is a huge relief for racecourses up and down the country. Sponsors believe that they get value for money for their association with the sport and with a particular race or racecourse.