€80 million for 10,000 spectators doesn't add up - and that's why this weekend is massive for the Curragh
Oisin Murphy was born and bred in Ireland, yet his visits to the Curragh have been very rare. So uncommon, in fact, that he has yet to ride a winner there. He is 0-11 going into Saturday's Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas, in which he will be reunited with Newmarket runner-up Hi Royal.
Murphy, though, has a perfectly legitimate excuse for his poor attendance, having been been based in Britain since moving to Andrew Balding at the tender age of 17 in October of 2012. A lot of racing fans in Ireland don't.
This very weekend last year only 10,000 attended the first two Classics of the season. There were officially 5,200 on Saturday and 4,800 on Sunday. That is simply not good enough for an €81.2 million investment. The numbers don't add up.
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