Ruby Walsh: We are gimmicking up a festival when a carnival is required

Changing the name doesn’t iron out the flaws of this weekend. Two venues and, for a sport so many tell me is international, there are no non-European runners

RACING ROYALTY AT DOWN ROYAL: Down Royal groundsman Kelvin Eastwood gets a selfie during Frankie Dettori’s visit to the track. Pic: Healy Racing

Irish Champions Festival, or ICF if you are down with the lingo like everyone who went to EP instead of Electric Picnic, replaces Champions Weekend, which never became CW, for the next two days.

Why? I don’t know, perhaps because it couldn’t be abbreviated to give it a catchy name, but apparently, the word “festival” makes people feel better about an occasion, even if it’s still the same gig.