WHAT a shame the weather was so miserable at Down Royal on St Patrick’s Day as very few ventured outside during the afternoon with most happy to view the action at The Maze and Cheltenham on the screens throughout the bars and hospitality suites.

There was, however, a seemingly unending queue for the cash machine on Friday although it appears the money was being spent on refreshments rather than bets with notable mumblings about the relatively small crowd and low level of transactions among bookmakers as they left the track. A very poor forecast for Friday probably put people off going racing.