“The fervour and energetic cheering of Ireland’s youth amplified as the soon-to-retire Taoiseach Leo Varadkar strode through the Fairyhouse Racecourse on a Monday afternoon. Yet, the echoing noise was nearly entirely eclipsed when he was recognised by scores of young gentlemen in the grandstand who promptly began jubilantly calling out his name.
There might have been some alcohol consumed.
Varadkar gave a good-humoured smile, waved at the vociferous young adults, and swiftly moved towards a notably calmer VIP suite, accompanied by the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, and Fine Gael’s prospective European Parliament candidate, Nina Carberry, who was enjoying both her campaign journey and well-known territory.
Unfortunately, Simon Harris didn’t receive equivalent enthusiasm and had to satisfy himself with the frenzied journalists clamouring to ask him about government policies more than shouting his name.
Harris perhaps faced tricky questions, but the day itself was gentle in many aspects.
As the eager crowd prepared themselves for an Irish Grand National that had one of the smallest participant groups in ages, a light rainfall blanketed them and rendered some of the fashion choices on show questionable at best. The weather was chilly and drizzling; scant few coats could be spotted among the young spectators.
The gloomy dampness made conditions challenging for the horses too, as the gentle day turned the course from soft to heavy.
Thanks to the wet weather, the bars were brimming with young ladies dressed as if they were going to a ball, jostling alongside young men donned in improbably snug trousers and flat caps, appearing as though they were on their way to the set of popular TV show Peaky Blinders.
In contrast, Dave and Rebecca Matthews wore more practical outfits and had travelled from Swords. They missed the first two races owing to a maze of dense traffic on their arrival.”
Despite not being fervent horse fans, Dave and Rebecca attended Fairyhouse for the first time, finding it to be a pleasing way to spend their Monday. Though the anticipated traffic while returning was a dampener, leaving wasn’t an appealing thought. When asked about their betting strategy, Rebecca confessed to not knowing much about horses, whereas Dave admitted only occasionally engaging in horse betting from his armchair. Interestingly, they planned to back the underdogs and not the favourites, leaving Dave wondering if he was the perfect client a bookmaker could envisage.
Contrary to what one would expect of a champagne bar, the aroma of curry chips dominated the air rather than champagne. It had an uncanny similarity to the aura of a waning wedding.
Anthony Dunne, an Ashbourne resident, spent his time observing the event from atop a tall stool. He confidently shared that his experience allowed him to make wise picks and compared the clothing choice of others to what might be seen on Love Island rather than suitable for the weather. He expressed his hunch that Good Time Johnny would emerge victorious in the Grand National Horse race.
Unfortunately, Good Time Johnny didn’t perform as anticipated and was one of the eight horses to drop out as the competition advanced. Of the 20 horse and jockey duos that began the race – a substantially lesser number due to early Easter festivities and adverse terrain – a mere 10 reached the finish line. The Irish Grand National saw J Slevin steer Intense Raffles to victory, successfully fending off Any Second Now. Minella Cocooner secured third place in the race.