That Friday Feeling Disappointing attendances have been just one stick used to beat the new Curragh in the last incident-packed three months. Less than 12,000 was the official Derby day crowd. A 4,295 attendance for the Oaks has been described as not good enough. But in some ways it will be crowd-size during the coming four 'Awesome August' Friday evening fixtures at HQ that prove most critical. Friday evening dates with a deliberate entertainment theme were presented as a major focus last year when fixture plans for the still to be completed €81 million flagship development were outlined. Attracting large crowds along the line of Leopardstown's Thursday evening fixtures, including post-race concerts, was a key element in helping to increase public engagement with Irish racing's HQ. There's a logic to it too. In theory Friday evenings should represent an opportunity for social racegoers to let their hair down, particularly the large population in the surrounding Kildare area. Post-race gigs are a tried and trusted way of getting people through the turnstiles, although the science of converting them into true racegoers as a result has never been convincing. Nevertheless there was an element of having little to lose by experimenting. Plenty will scoff at the idea of the Group One Phoenix Stakes, Europe's first top-flight two year old race of the year, being run at 6.50 on a Friday evening. But if the Oaks can't pull a bigger crowd that 4,295 on a Saturday afternoon date then banging on the tradition drum sounds hollow. Of course what's changed in the interim is a disastrous first three months which has turned the new facility into a punch-line. There's no point reeling everything off again but it's safe to say pretty much everything that could go wrong has done, with a few added unlikely elements thrown in too. Reconnecting with the racing public has to be a priority before even thinking about spreading further afield. This Friday's fixture will be the first under the watch of new CEO Pat Keogh and he has outlined some logistical changes to the Curragh here - Curragh changes designed to facilitate public for Phoenix Stakes meeting Keogh has wasted little time in making his mark, outlining how the general public will now be able to access the first and second floors of the Aga Khan stand rather than just simply the ground and first floors. In terms of tone, if little else, this represents a significant step. Irish racing traditionally isn't comfortable with exclusivity, at least not of the obtrusive kind. Other changes visible this Friday will be the opening up of the new owners and trainers facility which is one of the first things visible on entering through the gates. That's being converted into a food outlet open to everyone and without reservation. The owners and trainers will be moved to an area on the top floor of the stand. But after a torrid opening few months the Curragh could do with catching a break on these Friday evening dates. Up to now it hasn't entirely followed through on their logic. Proposals that the Friday of the Guineas festival would feature the Group One Tattersalls Gold Cup were abandoned. The Pretty Polly Friday of the Derby festival wasn't an evening date. This Friday will be informative in that it supplies a mix of top-flight racing and a post-racing 'Summer Sounds' attraction. It wouldn't take much starting off such a low expectation base for those in charge to take some encouragement if there's any to be had. If there is then three more Friday evening dates in August give a chance to build some momentum. Certainly a Curragh experiment that works would be a timely change of pace. Attendances are becoming more of an issue at the Galway festival too as even sparkling summer weather for much of last week couldn't prevent another slide in crowd figures. The total official attendance for the seven days was 129,058. That's 3,620 less than last year and a 15 per cent drop on the 2015 figure of 148,564. To put it in context the Punchestown festival earlier this year had a total attendance of 126,840 over five days. That represents a worrying slide for what has traditionally always been Irish racing's most popular week. Just two of the seven days saw increases on 2018. Day One was up a couple of hundred but the trend to Friday being the most popular date continued with a near 700 increase to 30,823. The real worry though is how Wednesday and Thursday, featuring the Plate and the Galway Hurdle, seem to be haemorrhaging popular appeal. Just 16,634 paid to see the big chase. The following 'Ladies Day' feature was down almost 2,000 with no apparent easy explanation, certainly not in terms of weather.' Much more encouraging was on-course bookmaker turnover actually increasing for the first time in over a decade with just over €6.8 million bet in the ring during the week. In trends terms its good news. But considering the base it comes from, it represents a single, albeit welcome, step. Staying with the Galway theme, later this year a six month review of the new reserve system is set to take place. It will be interesting to see if the entire concept comes up for debate given its capacity to inflict own-goals appears to be intact. Once again last week's Galway Plate threw up a scenario that hardly cast the sport in the best light given that two non-runners were replaced by two reserves in the same ownership including Movewiththetimes who started a gambled on 8-1 joint-favourite. Given that last year's Plate, when the Willie Mullins trained Ballycasey was taken out less than two hours before the first race and replaced by his stable companion Patricks Park, prompted April's changes to the reserve system, there was a weary sense of déjà vu about the topic arising again. At least this time the final field was known on the day of the race. However the circumstances of the Mullins trained Some Neck being scratched due to a 'clerical error' before 10.00 the previous day, and allowing his stable companion Pylonthepressure, into the race, was referred for further investigation. Mullins expressed surprise about that, claiming it's all straightforward and arguing that owners put a lot of money into the game. The latter point is undoubtedly correct. But one thing all of this doesn't appear to be is straightforward. And it's important that rules and regulations are as straightforward and transparent as possible. There is a train of thought that suggests the best course of action in these big handicap scenarios is to prevent reserves replacing non-runners that have the same connections. But it doesn't require too vivid an imagination to ponder the regulatory headaches involved in precisely establishing what the parameters for such a system should be. Might not the best idea be to scrap it all entirely? Some of us should be much too long in the tooth to get taken in by two year old brilliance as a promise of something special to come. There is abundant evidence of reading too much too soon into the too young. But it does remain one of the thrills of the game and right now there's surely no more thrilling two year old than Godolphin's Pinatubo. The son of Shamardal appeared to show genuine brilliance in Goodwood's Vintage Stakes last week and the Curragh's National Stakes is next on his agenda. That's an exciting prospect although what's interesting beyond that is how such electrifying acceleration is being produced by a colt whose dam won a Listed race at a mile and a half.
