FINALLY, after a stressful, ‘oh no they won’t, oh yes they will’ week of checking weather forecasts and IHRB notices, prayers were answered on Sunday morning. Hallelujah, we’re off to the DRF as the track was given the go ahead for the two days of action-packed, top-class competition.

Get there early was a wise intention, no one was leaving this to the last 10 minutes. “I can’t let you down there, it’s full up,” said the car park attendant stopping me on the Ballyogan entrance. Even waving my press card access can’t beat the crowds today.

It’s muddy in the further car parks, but the shuttle buses are frequent with cheery drivers.

It was the same at the front entrance. Car parks filled up quickly, I was told even arriving 90 minutes before the first race was not early enough to get a good parking spot.

There’s a bit of a queue to get tickets collected but once inside, it’s pretty full for 12.20pm.

A quick scout around after the first race and it’s racegoers everywhere, the Racing Hall can be a bit empty at times but there’s not much spare space today. Hurricane’s Bar is full. The ground floor bar in the stand likewise.

The marquee has a long zig-zag line up and down like an airport check-in for its bar service. The crowd is quite young (I’m not!) and comprised of all sorts. It’s a race meeting for the purists, but more females than you’d see at the Irish Champions Weekend. I even see a few kids taken along for the day.

It’s a wear what you like event, overseas travellers may have taken the waistcoat and suit, but some just stick with the tracksuit! I spy one lad in the marquee wearing the most flittered pair of ripped cropped jeans. It would be casual even in Ibiza!

The accents are also diverse, from Cork to Cornwall. You have to shift up the vocal classes when hearing a British accent declare “I do like the Rasko, old boy”, before the novice hurdle.

The beast

The Elliott runner Ballyfad gets favourable comments around the parade ring. “He’s a beast”.

Everyone in the stands was convinced that the ‘beast’ had held on, well nearly everyone. Even the TV cameramen followed the Elliott runner on pulling up but there is a great roar, “up ya, boy, ya” beside me in the stands when Talk The Talk is called the winner. You have to look twice at the big screen photo-finish but he got there!

A bit of sunshine contributed to good atmosphere on Sunday. You could get to sit on and take a photo on a stationary Galopin Des Champs, the Jockey Cam is better in the marquee but it’s not a day for frivolous pass-times, the track action comes quick and fast.

Majborough’s terrific round of jumping gets the crowd cheering from the half-way mark, where as last year he brought lots of ohs and ahs. A final roar over the last sees him canter home by a wide margin.

In the Timeless Sash Windows Irish Champion Hurdle, Lossiemouth gets a cheer as she goes past the stands, on the way to the start. Hopefully, the young lady behind me asking her partner “what colour is Lossiemouth?” will come racing again and know who she is looking for next time. There’s a few Ricci colours scarves but they are looking a little faded. The man himself is dapper as ever in the parade ring.

There is barely standing room at the top of the stands for the big race as it’s Brigtherdaysahead who sees it through and gets her big day again.

Michael O’Leary had said on an RTE interview that Elon Musk could not afford Brighterdayshead, something we are glad to hear! And if she goes on to a Champion Hurdle win after this, it’s surely something a MAGA billionaire wouldn’t appreciate.

Rescheduled day

Over 10,000 came on Monday, for a quickly rescheduled day, principally to see the Gold Cup, Paddy Power had plenty of guff on their signs too for MAGA supporters.

It can’t have been easy for Leopardstown and caterers Fitzers to provide staff on a public holiday at short notice, but service was efficient.

On the RTE TV scene-setting coverage, Barry Geraghty was looking for ‘new angles’ and felt Galopin’s interrupted passage before the Savills run could be a negative and went with Fact To File. He proved correct.

Fact To File got a more subdued reception passing the line. Mark Walsh was his typical ‘let the riding do the talking’ with Katie Walsh after his big Sunday winners. Galopin De Champs still got a deserved reception in third place in the enclosure.

Looking back, it was a brilliant weekend of action, for what must have been an enormously stressful time for all around the track. Punchestown accommodated the move to bank holiday Monday and communications on ticket refunds were quickly given. The two days gave the big names some glory, but a few of the smaller stables and lesser known riders had a day to remember too. And the vanquished left many questions going forward.

Brave Inca’s win in the race then known as the Deloitte Novices in 2004 marked the arrival of trainer Colm Murphy on to the big stage. Fast forward 22 years and Colm was almost back in the winner’s enclosure with Savante in the €100,000 handicap hurdle.

Watching on the big screen over the weighroom, connections thought they had it, only to be pipped at the post by Saint Le Fort. It was heartbreaking, but they will have their day.

British travellers

From a British perspective, Greg Wood’s The Guardian column caught up with a few British travellers and quoted Simon Boxcer, organiser of a group from Southend, impressed by the DRF experience, saying: “I love the place, it’s so welcoming and the racing is brilliant.

“I’ve got a box at Cheltenham for entertaining clients, but I prefer it here. It was €75 for the weekend, we all flew Ryanair from Stansted and when I changed my flight to go back on Monday night, it cost £20. Where are you going to get value like that in England?”

He quoted another traveller from Birmingham: “This is my second time here. I’ve stopped going to Cheltenham, it’s got so expensive. The tickets here are cheaper, accommodation’s not too expensive and the beer is even a bit cheaper, too.”

So, all boxes ticked, it doesn’t even need advertising next year!