IT looked ominous early on for day two of the Punchestown Festival, seven degrees and hail driving in, but happily after a huge shower before the second race things cleared up.

Modern technology has up to the minute information and day two’s racecard has a photo spread from yesterday’s races including Paddy Brennan’s win on God’s Own in the Champion Chase at 5.30pm.

On Tuesday, the attendance looked in a ratio of 1:9 ladies to gentleman but thankfully there are many more ladies on show today. The Buggyman is ferrying a clutch of the best dressed ladies away from the bandstand.

After the second race, Valerie Cooper is delighted with Woodland Opera’s win and reports of her famous dam, Opera Hat: “She’s 28 and looks a dream in the field.”

Down in the shopping village, there’s plenty of activity. You can find milinery, jewellery, art, furs, and the Hunter’s Kitchen Barrista of specialist coffees.

More than any other track Punchestown is excellent at having coffees and snacks within easy reach of the parade ring without intruding on the view, having to queue or having an aura of burger and chips flooding the air.

BUZZING

Further into the reserved enclosure the place is buzzing. The Guinness Village, the Kildare Failte Final Fence Pavilion and the Ladbrokes bar share space with the Bollinger tent. Ladbrokes’ most recognised face Hayley O’Connor is in the thick of it.

One poor unfortunate girl is tasked with wearing a pink elephant head for the afternoon. She dutifully does a circuit, from the shopping village up into the betting ring.

Up in the stands for the first Grade 1, one happy punter cheers Bellshill home: “A winner, Jesus a winner! Willie Mullins thinks there is a God after all!”

A glance around the ring and a rough count gives 200 men and about six ladies visible in eyeshot. Amidst the crowd are Pat Healy and a fellow snapper, taking shots of the packed stands. Pat’s sporting a close cut, he certainly doesn’t share a barber with Mouse Morris. It’s a very Irish stretch of bookmakers ring - Fitzpatrick, McDonnell, O’Hare, Murphy, McGrane all offering odds.

Rich Ricci’s not having such good fortune on the track but he’s still making an impact on the proceedings. One gentleman sports a scarf in the Ricci colours. A lady, elegant in black, pushes a buggy with a fitted cover in pink with green spots. A clothing range could be next stop, we’d all like to wear a touch of Annie Power, even if the nation’s favourite mare herself won’t be showing up.

As the big race comes around, it’s sunglasses time. It looks like Michael O’Leary’s luck has really run out after the Don Cossack injury, as Road To Riches takes a terrible fall at the second last but he thankfully he rises.

As Carlingford Lough returns, a lady around the winner’s enclosure wonders what Geraghty’s cut of the prize money was. It’s deserved though as her companion thinks: “That was like a McCoy ride,” on the winner Carlingford Lough.

Brendan McArdle captures trainer John Kiely, rumour has it Carlingford Lough has a regular partner in the 79-year-old trainer. “Ah no, I just ride him when I feel like it.” Barry Geraghty pays tribute to both horse and Kiely. “An amazing horse and he’s done an amazing job with him.”

Another tale overheard is of a horsebox getting lost taking a short-cut from the Curragh to Punchestown. He inadvertently picked up a procession of 12 cars on a tour of Kildare. Following a horsebox in the assumption that it knows the way to the races is not always the best policy.

You would think the Punchestown Festival would attract the die hard jump racing fans. Not so. In the stands for the Grade 1 bumper a conversation between two gentlemen. “You’ll enjoy this evening now,” said number one. Number two needed a bit of help. “Where are the horses now? Where is the winning post?” (To be fair there was no actual winning post.) Race over. “And where do them horses come in now?” A new recruit?.