Sometimes you have to go through hard times to truly appreciate good ones. Just ask Jack Kennedy.

When I was in Ascot on Saturday watching the rugby and how disappointing it was after all the hype which surrounded it and the team, it got me thinking and comparing it with our own sport.

LAST weekend offered another illustration of the wealth of young talent inhabiting Irish weigh rooms at the moment.

There are times when Aidan O’Brien would break your heart.

Early Doors can set the tone for a good day for the green, white and gold colours of owner JP McManus, by taking the Guinness Beginners’ Chase which gets Galway Hurdle day underway at 2pm.

Standing on the balcony of the hospitality building at Killarney Racecourse yesterday evening, Frankie Dettori addressed the gathered media and punters with the charisma and panache that has endeared him to the public since moving to England in 1985.

Frankie Dettori was out of luck in his four rides at Killarney this evening but he could hardly have come any closer.

The Daragh Ó Conchúir Interview He will watch them go to stalls for today’s DDF Irish Derby at the Curragh and, for a moment, wonder.

Trethias, whose form includes a defeat of Investec Oaks runner-up Pink Dogwood at the Curragh last year, lived-up to her trainer Jessica Harrington’s expectations when landing the listed Naas Oaks Trial in Naas last night.

Robert Havlin retains the ride Mehdaayih as she faces 13 rivals in Friday's Investec Oaks at Epsom.

It was 100-30 the field yesterday for next Saturday’s Epsom Derby and that tells you all you need to know about the open nature of this Classic.

The National Hunt season that has just finished was a very strange one. At times it felt like the season would never get going as we waited and waited for the skies to open. For us in racing, they never really did, but hopefully for the flat season ahead they won’t open now.

Last Monday’s Irish Grand National evoked plenty of memories for Roy Craigie, many of them from long before he enjoyed an 11-year stint as Fairyhouse general manager up to 1999.

Breed the best to the best and hope for the best is an ideology that has been knocking around racing for years.

The Flat season is not long under way but already, Mark Gallagher is making a claim to providing one of the outstanding narratives of the campaign.

Pat Smullen still hopes to make a return to the saddle after he completes his recovery from cancer treatment.

One-time Classic contender Amedeo Modigliani may make his long-awaited reappearance at Naas on Sunday.

Willie Mullins made it a fourth feature race success in five days at the 2018 Galway Festival and the theme of it not being the leading market fancy from the yard continued as Nessun Dorma caused an upset in the Guinness Handicap in the hands of Billy Lee.

Surrounding, ridden for Michael Halford and the Newell family from nearby Ratoath by Conor Hoban, pounced late to land the featured Toals.com Bookmakers Fillies Race in Fairyhouse.

Oisin Murphy is not afraid to celebrate on the big occasion and should Roaring Lion land the Investec Derby on Saturday, plenty more joyous scenes can be expected.

Aidan O’Brien is triple-handed as he bids to extend his tremendous record in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown tomorrow.

It is highly unlikely Ger Lyons will ever be champion flat trainer.

Airlie Beach rounded off her racing career in tremendous style with a typically game success in the Ardilaun Hotel Oyster Stakes at Galway.

Aidan O'Brien is convinced Churchill will not fail for a lack of stamina when he runs over a mile and a quarter for the second time at Leopardstown on Saturday.

In a fascinating race for the jockey’s title, reigning champ Pat Smullen has hit a rich vein of form and, following a 1,055-1 four-timer at Roscommon yesterday, is all but breathing down the neck of championship leader Colin Keane.

Robbie McNamara has enjoyed plenty of success at the Galway Festival, but yesterday was a red-letter day for the Newbridge, Co Kildare-based trainer as Cascavelle gave him a first winner on the Flat and first at this meeting in his guise as a trainer.

Once you have the first 24 hours under your belt in Galway, the rest of the week should get easier - but it doesn't, writes Conall Ó Fátharta.

Zhukova provided pioneering trainer Dermot Weld with another notable victory overseas when justifying favouritism in the Man o'War Stakes at Belmont Park.

There’s a top and a bottom in every sport, and to suggest the top is killing the bottom in jump racing is, in my opinion, off the mark, writes Ruby Walsh.

It might be an exaggeration to say it represented a changing of the guard, but that unprecedented six-timer by Gordon Elliott at Navan last Sunday was some statement of intent.

An extraordinarily successful year for Aidan O’Brien was recognised at the Dorchester Hotel in London last night as four Ballydoyle charges were honoured at the 26th annual Cartier Racing Awards while the master handler received the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Sir John Lavery, a very promising third on his debut at the Curragh just a week ago, proved the star of yesterday’s Gowran Park action as he romped to an impressive seven lengths win in the one-mile Irish Stallion Farms 2-Y-0 Maiden.

On an overcast Kilkenny afternoon about this time last year a seemingly bog standard two-year old maiden race was run at Gowran Park. Of the sixteen starters, most were unexposed types and although they represented many of our high profile training operations it didn’t quite feel like one of those golden maidens that hid unrevealed secrets for a sparkling future. Looks can sometimes deceive.

Dermot Weld would rather the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe be staged at Longchamp than its temporary home of Chantilly ahead of Harzand's date with destiny on Sunday week.

New Bay is on course to take on the best of this year’s Classic generation in what promises to be a fascinating renewal of the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday.