ALTHOUGH the Christmas break is little over a fortnight ago it ushers in a feeling. There is always a new spirit of camaraderie at the first meeting after the break. This is particularly noticeable at Dromahane now that it has taken over the fixture formerly held by Lisgoold.

Those of us in the north and east of the country had doubts about the meeting on the first Tuesday after Christmas due to the severe frost, but we need not have worried since, as we have found so often, Cork is a different world. Though a bitter wind put a nasty edge on the temperature, it did not deter a large crowd assembling for an excellent day’s racing. With race cards quickly sold out it was obvious that the attendance had exceeded the organisers’ expectations.