No Excuses Required

It's been a given for as long as a lot of us can remember that Galway's summer festival is Irish racing's most popular fixture of the year. John B Keane famously described it as a state of mind. Galway's crossover appeal means even those who don't know their Plate from their elbow go to Ballybrit. But this week's 150th celebration renewal sees popularity presumptions under threat.

Certainly those Celtic Tiger days when Galway became synonymous with ostentatious displays of helicopter-borne, Fianna Fail-tented bling look a bygone age. So a peak official attendance of 216,942 across the seven days in 2006 isn't a fair comparative stick to beat the current festival with in terms of broad popular appeal.

But given the economic upswing the country has enjoyed since it is notable how festival crowds have continued to slide in recent years. An official tally of 148,564 in 2015 was followed by 147,459 a year later. There was a significant drop to 137,682 in 2017. Last year's total fell again to 132,691 over seven days. That's well over ten per cent in just three years.

To put that in context the Punchestown festival earlier this year returned a total attendance of 126,840 over five days. The final 'Family Day' programme saw 37,206 turn up. That's a long way from the modern day attendance record of 48,120 that famously squeezed in for the 2006 Galway Hurdle. But it's a lot closer to it than last year's 'Ladies Day' crowd of 26,429 at Ballybrit.

The state of flux is reflected by last year's biggest Galway festival crowd actually coming on the Friday evening with a 30,159 figure returned. That's a very healthy attendance by any measure. It's also reflective of an extended Bank Holiday weekend social vibe and testifies to Galway's 'event' status if not any purely sporting pull.

But in the context of a near-nine per cent increase in overall attendances in Ireland during the first half of 2019 it will be interesting to see if Galway can arrest the slide this week. Old givens can't be taken for granted anymore. A decade ago more than 25,000 watched the Galway Plate first hand. Last year there was less than 17,000.

Is such a slide in spectator appeal acceptable for such a prestigious race? Does it even matter? If a 'here for the beer' Friday evening session gets people through the gates, then is actual racing irrelevant when it comes to attendances? After all that Punchestown 'Family Day' programme is probably the weakest of that week in racing terms. So what does it say about racing's core appeal?

Once upon a time Galway was separate from such considerations. It was Irish racing's unique attraction, featuring mostly ordinary actual sport but drawing the masses like nothing else. It's still a singular attraction. What may be crucial this week is a positive weather outlook that might encourage an upsurge in people prepared to go and pay through the turnstiles.

In the context of 150 years such considerations might seem a blip. But the 150 year success story that is the Galway races hasn't come on the back of those at the helm taking anything for granted. It will certainly be interesting to see how attractive Wednesday evening's Plate programme proves to be, given a prizemoney boost that makes it equal in value to the following day's Galway Hurdle.

As for the race itself it looks typically open although the route Poker Party has taken here looks eye-catching. Henry De Bromhead's two previous Plate winners, Shanahan's Turn and Balko Des Flos, both ran in the same Punchestown festival event that Poker Party ran third in last time out. He's no doubt been freshened up since then so a mark of 138, combined with current 16-1 odds, make him an attractive proposition at this stage.

Separately, a not so attractive potential prospect is how trainers and jockeys respond to the remedial measures Dundalk are undertaking ahead of action returning to the all-weather there in September.

Last week's confirmation that a three month resurfacing job, reportedly costing up to €2.5 million, will take place over three months from April of 2020 provokes the obvious question of what happens over the coming autumn and winter should professionals decide these interim measures don't produce a surface they feel is up to par.

Dundalk has got assurances they will be. But reassurances, and official regulatory passing of the Polytrack as fit to race earlier this year, didn't prevent many trainers voting with their feet. A similar vote this winter in particular will leave the industry is an entirely unsatisfactory quandary, given how central Ireland's sole all-weather circuit has become.

It is becoming a bit of a one-string banjo praising Frankie Dettori. But it would be churlish not to acknowledge another masterful effort from him in Enable's thrilling King George defeat of Crystal Ocean at the weekend.

It's entirely possible to acknowledge the race as spectacular while also pointing out how Enable never really looked likely to lose. That's why gushing references to the finish being superior to a genuine epic like Grundy-Bustino in 1975 feel premature. It's also entirely possible to praise Dettori while acknowledging that Enable got him out of trouble.

Like real top-notchers the mare found a way to win despite a lot going wrong for her - no excuses required.

She got Dettori to the front but he was superb in keeping her there. He used the whip once. In the circumstances it must have been hugely tempting to go for broke. But there's no point getting older if you don't get wiser. The result was a wonderfully polished finish that indicated how less really is more sometimes.

The old riposte is that every horse is different and that some go for a smack whereas others don't. All of which is true, except that Saturday's finish was no less thrilling for all the restraint Dettori showed. In the circumstances though, the self-confidence required to back himself to do so testifies to a supreme talent in full late-career bloom.

Finally, is there a lonelier word in the racing lexicon than 'noted.' It is used on a near-daily basis in stewards enquiry reports, along the lines of such and such an explanation has been 'noted.' It has become a sort of shorthand for officialdom thinking there might be something going on but there's damn all we can do about it. Still, we've had a look so job-done.

Except it's not anything done really, apart from ticking off some procedural process. It begs the question as to whether 'noted' explanations really add up to anything bar a collection of paperwork? And if that is the case, is that good enough?