WHEN the National Lottery launched its new Winning Streak game on Thursday, money certainly appeared to be no object. In fact, money was not even open to discussion. Nevertheless, everyone still wanted to know the magic number - i.e., how much was Olympic gold medallist Michelle Smith paid for her appearance at the lavish lunch which was held in the plush surroundings of the Clarence Hotel? None of the National Lottery people was willing to reveal the figure - perhaps they were afraid it would bring bad luck.
This is the 13th Winning Streak game, and who better to launch it than the woman who had a most spectacular winning streak at this year's Olympic Games in Atlanta. The guest at honour was accompanied by her husband and coach, Erik De Bruin, who had left behind the tracksuit in favour of a three piece suit, and her manager, Cathy Stapleton. Sharing a table with the champion was Mike Murphy, who will be presenting the Winning Streak show when it starts its new season on RTE 1 in two weeks time, and the director of the National Lottery, Ray Bates.
The Lottery people hit the jackpot as far as television personalities were concerned, and among the familiar faces at the lunch were Cynthia Ni Mhurchu, Ronan Collins, Theresa Lowe, Marty Whelan, Bill O'Herlihy and Eileen Dunne. Two well known faces from the world of modelling, Marie Staunton and Laura Bermingham, were also there, and more glamour was provided by last year's Rose of Tralee winner, Australian Nyomi Horgan.
Before the gong sounded for lunch in the Clarence suite, guests were treated to champagne in the hotel's beautiful Penthouse suite which, when you cast your gaze past the salt sofas and grand piano, provides a breathtaking view of the Dublin skyline. After the lunch, Ms Smith sat in one of the sofas and was once again subjected to rigorous questioning by the media but this time the mood was more chatty than catty. Needless to say, she declined to answer the million dollar question, but she did discuss the much speculated Hollywood biopic ("There was no offer of anything"), rumours of her prohibitive fees for public appearances ("I'm not motivated by money") and the many inaccurate newspaper stories about her ("I don't read what people write about me").
If Ms Smith is reading this, we would like to wish her the best of luck in her future endeavours, and we will be stocking up on scratch cards in the hope that some of her luck (and talent) rubs off on us.