Cheltenham 2011 - Gone to the races

THERE was a time when ministers left junior colleagues to introduce legislation to the Dáil so they would not miss a race at Cheltenham, when it would have been easy to argue that the great national hunt festival in the Cotswolds represented the Galway tent and its habitué on pilgrimage.

Having a runner at Cheltenham was almost a rite of passage for so many of those enriched by our decade of lunacy. Indeed it would be interesting to go through the festival card to try to establish how many of the week’s Irish owners are clients of Nama through their business interests.

Be that as it may huge numbers of Irish people look forward to the annual festival with an enthusiasm bordering on passion.

Whether the great competitiveness shown by the Irish contingents during the boomier years, when we could afford to keep the very best horses at home, can be sustained remains to be seen.

But one thing is certain.

If support can help a horse cross the line first there will be lots of Irish winners.