TO the backdrop of a soundtrack of 1980s hits which ranged from bands such as Wham to Matthew Wilder’s Break My Stride, Irish racing returned at Naas on Monday. After a 76-day absence racing’s return took place in seamless fashion although this wasn’t quite a day at the races that we are all used to. Action on the track took place as it has always done and, given events since racing’s resumption, it was appropriate that the first race back should fall to Aidan O’Brien’s More Beautiful.

Away from the track though this was racing with an altogether different feel as the behind closed doors policy and the accompanying protocols meant that the action on the racecourse played out in front of largely empty enclosures that contained only essential personnel.

This lent a decidedly eerie feel to proceedings at Naas and Leopardstown which was perhaps best accentuated in the minutes leading up to the first race on Monday.

As the runners made their way down to the start, the usual atmosphere generated by the bookies ring which often carries over the public address system was replaced by a stark silence.

The build up to the first race proceeded without any sense of an enclosure humming with any degree of expectation. In the parade ring jockeys and trainers stood opposite each other at a two-metre interval in unusually regimented fashion and once the various contests had taken place, there was none of the usual debriefing.

Instead, winners came and went without any degree of fanfare with the only discernible nod to tradition being a brief photo opportunity for the winning connections before the press took their turn to grab a nugget or two from a representative of the winning connections.

In terms of Naas and Leopardstown, it was possibly the latter venue which felt slightly more surreal with the preliminaries being staged against the backdrop of the construction works which are taking place at the Dublin track. There almost appeared to be a normal feel to things with various personnel scattered around the parade ring basking in glorious sunshine.

There were times when it felt as though the meeting wasn’t all that different to various industry fixtures that take place throughout the calendar. That such a degree of normality could prevail at various points of the day during these unprecedented times is a testament to the hard work and organisation which has made resumption possible.

The process by which various participants gained entry to the track was, in truth, seamless. The presentation of a barcode which was obtaining by filling in the health screening questionnaire, brandishing of an AIR card and a temperature check were all accomplished within a minute which then left one free to enter the racecourse.

The differences between the racing that has taken place this week and what preceded it earlier in the year are many. The day’s activity at is punctuated by regular public address announcements concerning the need to adhere to various social distancing and safety measures. The fact that jockeys are sporting face masks at most junctures throughout the day is a striking pointer to the times that we now live in.

Whereas previously jockeys would emerge from the weighroom before each race and disappear back inside until next called upon, they now found themselves based away from their usual surrounds.

At Naas the riders occupied the first floor of the grandstand and in Leopardstown they found themselves in the basement usually given over to the Tote, bars and food outlets while at Navan they occupied the owners and trainers’ bar.

The daily experience might be a somewhat alien one for the riders not to mention trainers and staff but any change to the traditional routine is inconsequential just to have racing back. After riding Nordic Passage to victory for Johnny Levins on Monday, Donagh O’Connor echoed the sentiments of all involved in racing when he remarked quite simply that he was just delighted to be back.

The feel of these fixtures is altogether different to what would transpire in the ordinary course of events. However, we are living through a period of unprecedented societal change and the fact that this week’s meetings have passed without a hitch is not something to be taken for granted.