It's time to invite Britain to the party if we really want to grow Ireland's big weekend on the Flat

Our deputy Ireland editor has his say on the two-day extravaganza at Leopardstown and the Curragh

Karl Burke: "If as much falls as they're forecasting, there would be a question mark over whether she runs or not"

Karl Burke: "I don’t understand why a lot more UK trainers don’t give it a go." Neither do I, Karl! Credit: Edward Whitaker

Maybe this is it. Maybe this is as good as it is going to be.

That's where my mind had wandered to at around eight o’clock last Saturday night. It was more than an hour after the last of nine races and I decided to have a pint before I left Leopardstown. Bulmers. It cost me €7.40. A pint of Guinness was €7.30, in case you were wondering.

There was some sort of Abba tribute band on stage. The atmosphere was nice, the weather was nice, the place looked nice and the racing had been nice. Everything was nice. Knowing me and knowing you, a big giant 'but' is expected now. There isn't one. Sometimes nice is enough.

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Published on 19 September 2025inDavid Jennings

Last updated 14:00, 19 September 2025

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