Curragh chief Derek McGrath confident in solutions to first fixture complaints

Derek McGrath is confident the teething problems from the opening fixture at the newly-revamped Curragh earlier this month have been sorted and promises racegoers value for money at the Guineas meeting this weekend.

The Curragh chief executive came in for criticism from racegoers who were forced to join long queues just to purchase a cup of coffee on May 6, while Racing TV pundit Kate Harrington, trainer Sarah Lynam and agent Bobby O'Ryan all took to Twitter to complain about the size of the owners and trainers bar.

A marquee with a dedicated section for owners and trainers has been erected for this weekend and McGrath says his team have come up with solutions to all the problems which surfaced at the previous fixture.

"We learned a lot from the opening fixture. There were always going to be snags which needed to be dealt with. We looked at our queuing and payment systems and we have reconfigured and redesigned a lot of areas. We have added a number of new elements too," McGrath said.

The new-look Curragh hosted its first fixture on May 6Credit: Patrick McCann

He added: "There will be a Paddy Power betting shop, the coffee shop will be open in the Queen's Room and the Bistro will be open for food too. We feel we have come up with solutions to sort the problems which surfaced. We will have bigger numbers here on Saturday and Sunday and we need to be able to cope with that pressure."

Asked about potential crowd figures for Saturday and Sunday, McGrath was unwilling to speculate.

"It is not about crowd figures. That is a short-term way of looking at things and I would much prefer to ensure that those who do come have a thoroughly enjoyable experience," McGrath said.

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