LAUGHTER. Fun. Friends. Atmosphere. Oh, and yes, there was great racing.

What a joy it was to be able to attend the Curragh on Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby day this year. While I have been blessed during the past months to be able to get to a number of racecourses, this one was very special. It had actual racegoers present.

The 1,000 lucky souls who got their hands on a golden ticket represented not only a variety of groups and sectors, but they also hopefully heralded the slow, painstakingly at times, return to what we call normality. This ultra-careful testing of the waters is frustrating for many, but wholly understandable.

Racing has been the envy of some, given that we have been allowed to continue to operate behind closed doors, long before many other activities have been able to resume. Being rigorously policed has meant we are able to race in safety. Now, the time is almost right to step up the numbers.

It was possibly more of a headache for Pat Keogh and his team to put in place arrangements for 1,000 racegoers and industry professionals than it would be to host 25,000 on a classic day. Their attention to detail paid dividends, and everyone I spoke with was full of praise. It was great to see some of the usual trappings too in place.

Artwork

Artist John Fitzgerald was painting Galileo as I passed his display of artwork, which featured his new Spanish bull sculpture. The sense of freedom being felt by everyone was palpable in the good spirits being shown, and it was nice to be able to unmask now and again and identify people readily. No more having a conversation and wondering afterwards who you had exchanged words with!

That said, people were respectful of others, and the now generally accepted elbow and fist bumps in greeting were occasionally replaced with a welcome handshake. Being a hugger, I am still keen to move on to that next stage of intimacy.

Months and months in relative isolation is having one very powerful and positive outcome.

Our national need to talk with others, even on a mundane subject, is strong. I found myself at times having conversations with some people that I might otherwise have just had a nodding acquaintance with. An added extra delight for me at least.

As an experiment, this outing was undoubtedly successful. Add in what I would consider, and hope it proves to be, one of the best renewals of the Irish Derby in many years, and it all made for a day to remember.

It was certainly so for the eight different owners, trainers, jockeys and breeders who cheered and steered home the eight winners on the card.

The only disappointment for me on Saturday was nothing to do with the Curragh or its team, rather just in seeing large areas of the facilities lying idle. With luck that will not be the case for long. The Curragh can handle larger numbers, and the sooner they get the chance to do so the better.

Bravo Pat and your team.