MIDSUMMER, Derby day come and gone. The Curragh attracted over 11,000 to the Dubai Duty Free Derby which was a decent crowd on Saturday.

It did look more crowded looking back on TV than at the track and there was a stiff wind to contend with. On TV you get that impression too as presenter Hugh Cahill hung on to his newspapers on the RTÉ stand. The team, Jane, Fran and Ruby touched on the big topic of the week – the Gosden/Dettori split.

Fran is of the opinion that it was “badly dealt with by John Gosden, coming out publicly. “Sabbatical” – just come out and say it lads.” Ruby adds: “Two wrongs don’t make a right – I was always taught when you make a mistake, come in and put your hands up. Frankie could have done that too.”

Before Railway Stakes, Blackbeard has a bit of a temper tantrum – he had done a bit of prancing last time in the winner’s enclosure at the Guineas meeting. “Playful” is the word used!

Afterwards successful trainer Johnny Murtagh was asked how to do you win the Derby? “Make the running, stride alone, let them catch me if you can.” He got that almost correct.

The winner Shartash “sounds like something you’d do the morning after a night on the Guinness,” proclaims one of the RTÉ team. Not sure I’d want to be interviewing the Aga Khan after that!

After Wexford Native’s success Jim Bolger is asked on his views on the Irish Derby. “I’m very happy with it as it is - we are not going to have a top horse win it every year no more than in Kentucky or Epsom. I hope it stays at a mile and a half.”

It’s always better on the inside looking out? Well, you can’t see too much from the outside of the Curragh parade ring.

Ruby makes a valid point on TV before the Derby. “I can see from the luxury of the height I’m standing at, there are loads of people who paid €50 apiece to come here to the Curragh and to come and see the horses but they can see none, they are all in the back parade ring.

“At 3.24pm there are two in the parade ring, I think that’s unfair, we want to know mentally who can take it as well as physically.”

Keano number one may have been in Croke Park but there were a few cries of ‘Keano’ around the winner’s enclosure after Colin delivered the Derby for Juddmonte.

“He’s an incredible role model for jockeys,” Ruby comments on our champion jockey. “The way he goes about his business, conducts himself. He’s fantastic for racing. People should aspire to who is at the top and he sets the standard.”

Ralph Beckett, in praise of his winner says: “I didn’t think he’d do it like that - he’s still a work in progress. His full -brother barely came up to your shoulder – he was a rabbit!”

To have a day out at the track, there are changes in giving the public more access are welcome from the initial opening days. But for €50 or even €40, there’s still a lot of niggles in the general public that you wouldn’t get at some of the smaller tracks. How the parade ring with such poor viewing if you are three deep, was allowed remains unfathomable and there is still a ‘temporary’ feel about the area behind the bookies ring.

The best dressed competition was hidden away in the marquee behind the Queen’s Room – it should be more prominent to engage more people.

The Queen’s Room is a lovely facility but it is too slow to get a snack. The coffee is excellent and very good value – but it really all needs to be speedier. Quantity is better than quality here.

The main ground floor is still a mishmash. If you have to have queues, they should not be impeding the general flow of people but here, queues for the bar, for the toilets, queues to the Tote kiosk in the centre and queues for the snack bar and the main hot food area, along with limited seating and people standing along the walls eating was just not great. The windy day made eating outside not an option.

For all that, the stand gives great access, seating and viewing, but there are things that just flow much better at Leopardstown/Punchestown.

Brian Kavanagh said in his recent interview in The Irish Field: “We want to walk before we can run”, but there are some basic things that need looking at and more to do.