An acquaintance who gets into a sweat about ratings and the pattern and such like opined at the weekend that calling the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle a top class race because it is “Grade 1” is like calling Sligo Rovers top class because the word “Premier” is in the League of Ireland title. Which is very unfair – on the Hatton’s Grace. (more…)

Marketing people know all about the “USP” concept, or “Unique Selling Point.” It includes a priceless ability to distil the essence of your product into a single, snappy line. So with the always savvy Ladbrokes behind them, anyone believing that Fairyhouse are going to cough up their traditional Easter Monday date for the Irish Grand National any time soon is living in cloud-cuckoo-land. (more…)

Isn’t it interesting that those same people who laugh at science fiction and horoscopes will still listen to weather forecasts?

As anyone who has ever organised an outdoor event in Ireland knows, predicting what’s going to fall out of the sky is to science what Keno is to stable financial planning. (more…)