'Unique opportunity' - Curragh chief keen for Irish racing to show off talents

Curragh manager Pat Keogh has labelled Guineas weekend as a “unique opportunity” for Irish racing to attract new followers, but admitted his disappointment that owners cannot attend the opening Classics of the season.

Keogh, who served as chief executive of Leopardstown for almost a decade before he was appointed the new man at the Curragh helm last July, outlined his hopes for owners to attend behind-closed-doors meetings in the coming weeks but insisted now is the time for focusing on the positives.

He explained: “The absolute positive is that racing is back and we are running the two Classics. The disappointing thing is that we can't welcome owners and we can't welcome the general public to the Curragh. We were really looking forward to showcasing the new Curragh this year, so that's just going to have to wait a little longer.”