Everyone’s a racing expert, at least for a day

IT’S no secret that there are people wandering around racecourses thinking starter’s orders means asking for the soup of the day before the main course.

Rather than shun them, however, the patient people at Cheltenham embrace them and have even supplied them with a glossary of racing terms to help them negotiate the linguistic fences while the horses deal with the hedge things growing in the middle of the running bits.

The phrase book begins with “allowance”, defined as the concession given to compensate for a rider’s inexperience or gender.

Die-hard racing fans use it in reference to describe Johnny-come-latelys and Janey-come-rarelys, only they don’t believe any allowance should be given, particularly to the Janeys.

So do women know their stuff or should they stick to the best-hat competitions?

Wexford jockey David Casey clearly didn’t see girlfriend, Aine Byrne from Kildare, as an accessory as he proudly paraded around with her as if he had just found Shergar.

“She brings me luck, at least she’d better,” he said.

Anne Marie Leavey, from Bolliver, Co Meath, who travelled with fiance Ciaran McManus in a group of 40 friends and relatives, looked like a candidate for a best-dressed award, but it was only the racing contests she was interested in.

“I’m a regular race-goer, so I know a bit about it all right ‘ just don’t ask for tips yet. It’s a bit early.”

Catriona Murphy, from Ferns, Co Wexford, carried the hopes of her entire family on her shoulders.

“My dad is big into horses and it rubbed off on me, but he couldn’t come this year because the family is preparing for a wedding.

“My sister, Mary, is getting married next week, but I live in Cardiff so I was able to come and represent them all.”

Not surprisingly, Louise O’Neill, daughter of the legendary John Joe, and her cousin, Margaret O’Neill from Mallow, daughter of owner, Denis, were both brimful of tips and frankly found it odd why anyone would think otherwise.

“I love racing. I go every weekend,” said Margaret, who follows jockey brother, Bernard, to point to points all over the country.

Siobhan Collier from Thomastown, Co Kilkenny did admit to knowing little about racing other than it is good fun, but that still put her ahead of companion Michael Collins, and many others in the group, who travelled from Dawn Meats in Waterford.

“She knows more than I do,” said Michael, who could not but be in awe of Siobhan’s canny decision to back Wednesday’s shock winner, You’re So Special, at 33 to 1.

But was Siobhan an astute student of form or had she insider information? Neither. “Call it women’s intuition,” she said.

Funny there’s no definition for that in the phrase book.