A few politicians and developers put their heads above the parapet in pursuit of horseflesh yesterday, writes KATHY SHERIDAN
CHELTENHAM SHIFTED into truly festive mode yesterday as the sun, the punters, a few developers, politicians and Charlie McCreevy came out to play.
Ruby Walsh showered them all with pixie dust (let’s draw a veil over Michael O’Leary ‘s unfortunate tumble in the third), the bookies got hammered, Ireland stretched its haul to nine winners (two off a festival record) and the townland of Ardclough in north Kildare stamped its name on the map again, thanks to Tom Taaffe and a horse called Ninetieth Minute.
The horse could hardly lose. “I’d have tipped him but there’re 27 other horses and it’s carnage out there. You need Lady Luck with you. The community of Ardclough are so good to us when we have horses racing,” said Tom’s wife, Elaine, who never leaves home without the silver horseshoe that belonged to Tom’s father, the legendary Pat Taaffe.
Furthermore, Ninetieth Minute gallops out on a lovely hill overlooked by the first Arthur Guinness from his mausoleum in the old graveyard of Oughterard, and last Friday parish priest Fr Willie O’Byrne stopped by on his way to confirmation ceremonies in Ardclough to bless the horse’s Cheltenham adventure.
Charlie McCreevy’s great annual Cheltenham adventure, on the other hand, has not traditionally been blessed by Brussels or anyone. Thirty years a-racing in the Cotswolds, Ireland’s representative at the EU high table was never going to be sidetracked by a bunch of moaning minnie plutocrats, complaining he missed official business in pursuit of horseflesh.
“They do that every year – they don’t like me coming here,” he says, in tones of rising indignation laced with burgeoning satisfaction. “All these people take their skiing holidays and winter holidays. This is what I do – Cheltenham . I never ever went on one of those Patrick’s Day trips that Ministers do – I said ‘I’m not goin’ anywhere, I’m goin’ to Cheltenham’. It’s my annual holiday.”
It’s a matter of principle now, apparently. He has only missed it once – in 1992 when he was a first-time minister under Albert Reynolds and had to answer questions in the Dáil. He still remembers the beaten favourite – Carvills Hill, for the record. Otherwise, fellow politicians have been quite obliging.
“In fairness to Ruarí Quinn, when he was minister for finance, he made sure that the committee stage of the Finance Bill never collided with Cheltenham . . .”
Anyway, he is not a politician as he and his wife, Noeleen, pointed out more than once. “He is the EU Commissioner,” she pointed out, as beside us, the Master Butchers’ Brass Band – “a cut above the rest” – blasted out Michael Row the Boat Ashore in the shadow of a lifesize bronze of the late, lamented Best Mate, whose forelocks bear a fresh wreath in his old racing colours.
Seán Barrett and Michael Lowry appeared to be the only currently elected politicians around – or the only ones to put their heads above the parapet. Barrett, the chairman of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security, has been coming for 30 years with his wife Sheila (a daughter of Tim Hyde, winning jockey of the 1939 Aintree Grand National) and has no intention of stopping now either. “I have a bloodstock insurance business – our son is running it now – and this was always a good place for business networking.”
And did he consider the wisdom of showing his face given the state we’re in? “The world hasn’t stopped going around yet,” he replied. For the record his two top tips were spot on. If only The Irish Times had acted on them.
Tom Parlon’s tips, on the other hand, were not, although he was generous with the contents of slips of paper pushed into his hand by all and sundry. The woes of the construction industry seemed a long way off as he dashed off for lunch in company that included Michael O’Flynn, the Cork developer, and owner of China Rock which failed to oblige in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle. Presumably Parlon also found time to tic-tac with other construction magnates such as Seán Mulryan (who sponsored the £120,000 hurdle) and Mick Bailey.
Whether they arrived in any of the 30 to 40 helicopters parked down the field is unknown. We do know, however, that about 300 helicopters are expected on Friday, Gold Cup day. So, no. For some at any rate, the world has not stopped turning. Yet.
Today’s tote on course cash turnover was just over £2 million. The figure is 19 per cent lower than 2007. The attendance yesterday was 47,135. There was no racing on the corresponding day last year due to bad weather.