Everyone wants a touch of golf glamour

RACEHORSES, stamps, artists, chefs and fashionistas. It seems there is nothing or nobody that doesn’t want to be associated with Ryder Cup guff… er, golf.

The country’s top stallions and mares might not be allowed race over the hallowed turf of the K Club, but it won’t stop them jumping on the golf bandwagon next week as The Curragh is hosting a Ryder Cup Race Day next Tuesday.

The meeting will feature the inaugural Shelbourne Hotel Goffs Millions race whose top prize of €1 million makes it the richest horse race in Europe for two-year-olds.

Among the VIPs likely to attend are Europe’s Ryder Cup team captain Ian Woosnam, top model Jodie Kidd and English rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio.

And while it’s horses for (parkland) courses, the Curragh meeting is also expected to be one of the main attractions for the G-WAGS — the female partners of the European and US Ryder Cup teams.

Pressure is mounting on the assorted wives and girlfriends as tabloids are confidently predicting they will outdo the exploits of Posh and Colleen during the World Cup in Germany.

Woosie’s wife Glen and her US counterpart Melissa Lehmann will present some of the prizes at the race meeting — but of potentially more interest to the G-WAGS is the €20,000 on offer for the Brown Thomas Most Stylish Woman competition.

True horse-racing lovers won’t feel too bunkered by all the golferrati as Horse Racing Ireland will also stage a special ceremony to honour 20 “racing heroes,” including JP McManus, John Magnier, Charlie Sawn, Vincent O’Brien, Paddy Mullins and Dermot Weld.

Elsewhere, in a taste of things to come, Bord Bia are keeping the ingredients of the K Club’s specially developed signature dish for the Ryder Cup under wraps until next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a Dublin art gallery is also keen to draw attention to the event. The Green Gallery on St Stephen’s Green is offering a special print edition of Tiger Woods playing at the K Club, which was painted by artist Serguei Zlenko.

Finally, An Post has also given the Ryder Cup its stamp of approval by yesterday releasing yet more commemorative editions of the event. The postal company already issued a set of four stamps to mark the Ryder Cup in July.