There was enough champagne flowing at the Curragh to sink the economic gloom, writes Alison Healy
IT WAS Day 6 of the recession yesterday and what, everyone asked, would it mean for Derby day at the Curragh?
Would Taoiseach Brian Cowen be spotted in the parade ring wearing one of Bertie Ahern's old anoraks?
Would celebrity solicitor Gerald Kean leave the helicopter at home and take the moped instead?
And would Charlie McCreevy be spotted tucking into banana sandwiches whilst balancing a lunchbox and a bottle of tea on his lap?
Happily it was a case of "Recession? What recession?" at the racecourse yesterday. The helicopters whirred above reassuringly, ferrying the rich and even richer to the track. And it was standing room only in the Bollinger champagne enclosure as manicured hands tinkled expensive glasses.
Spindly Prada heels sunk into the grass of the parade ring and, had it rained, a sea of false tan would have flowed across the Curragh plains.
Perhaps the change in sponsor was a good sign. The Budweiser Irish Derby became the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby and the sponsors brought the sunshine and whiff of glamour from the Middle East with them. The new "Bubble Lounge" was offering champagne and cocktails to the holders of the more expensive tickets.
And of course the €1.5 million pot ensured that the race remained the State's most prestigious prize.
So Brian Cowen was not thrilled to be asked by pesky reporters about the downturn yesterday. Do journalists never stop talking about the recession, he asked in a bewildered tone. "Let's enjoy the day."
The Taoiseach went on to express disappointment that the Derby favourite, New Approach, had pulled out of the race due to injury.
Bill Cullen, who will soon front the Irish version of The Apprentice, wasn't giving any tips yesterday after confessing that the only horses he knew about were under his car bonnet. His partner, Jackie Lavin, said they had received "thousands" of applications for the programme, which will air on TV3 in September. But Cullen believes the Irish contestants will be far superior to Alan Sugar's contenders. "They were all as thick as planks," he said, somewhat undiplomatically. "The Irish will have more common sense."
Cullen was standing near actor Clive Owen, who clearly hadn't noticed much sign of a recession on his trips to Ireland. Asked if he considered buying a house here, Owen said, "No, it's too expensive."
Owen was seen on RTÉ screens with Jennifer Aniston last week and has just finished shooting another film, Duplicity, with Julia Roberts. Asked if he had any tips for the big race, the man with the large female following said "Casual Conquest" with an unmistakeable twinkle in his eye.
But Casual Conquest had to be content with second place as Frozen Fire powered home in a dramatic finish, giving a home victory to Sallins jockey Seamie Heffernan. It was a sweet victory for the jockey and trainer team who also claimed the top prize last year with Soldier of Fortune.
"It's unbelievable to win this two years in a row," Heffernan said afterwards. "It's a dream."
Heffernan would have been blushing if he had attended the press conference afterwards when a foreign journalist began taking issue with the fact that he was the number two jockey to Johnny Murtagh at Aidan O'Brien's stables. "Now are you going to put him higher in the pecking order in Ballydoyle?" the journalist asked.
"I think, he's . . . em . . . I think em . . ." the flustered trainer said before swiftly handing the microphone to one of the owners, Michael Tabor. "Well, Johnny Murtagh's number one. What do you want us to do?" he asked.
"We've got great respect for him obviously but where do you go from there?" And at 16-1, many happy punters also had great respect for the jockey yesterday.