IN the case of the Curragh, when it rains, it pours. The track was unfortunate with the weather on Saturday. Rain can ensure an unpleasurable and uncomfortable experience at even some of the best racecourses in the world so, in many ways, it wasn’t too much of a surprise to see critical reports emerging on Saturday evening and Sunday morning, given that Irish racing’s headquarters is currently half a building site.

I wasn’t at the Curragh this weekend so can’t offer an opinion on the facilities but some of the verdicts seemed harsh, not least the opinion of celebrity racing fan Ivan Yates, who said: “This is an embarrassment to Irish racing. It's an utter disgrace. There's absolutely no regard whatsoever for racegoers and punters. I'll never come back to the Curragh.”