TO talk, not to talk or how to talk. Those were some of the incidents over the weekend after Armagh left the All-Ireland Championship, with manager and players refusing to speak to the media in the build-up, following claims they had been misrepresented earlier in the season.

After his USPGA triumph, it was noticeable how many interviewers were lined up to speak to Rory McElroy, one after the other, all part of the package.

Foreign riders

Last Saturday through Shergar Cup day, a welcome feature of proceedings was the willingness of the foreign riders to take time to talk to the media and their acceptance that it was part of their job to promote the sport. Emma-Jayne Wilson was undoubtedly the star of the show and it was a shame that the (bad) luck of the draw in getting the unfancied Major Crispies in the last race robbed her of the overall riders’ title. She was a breath of fresh air on the day, and excelled on and off her mounts. Her synopsis that “horseracing is a sport for fans to come out and cheer on the best” showed her awareness of the need to make racing more accessible to its audiences. The horses may be the stars, but they can’t talk.

Craig Williams’ summary emphasised it all. “It’s a privilege that if you are in front of the cameras you are always ambassadors for the sport. It funded many generations of my family before me. Our job is to promote it, promote the sport for the young kids to come out, we want them to be involved.”

Sounds like sense.