Hensey hails switch to Saturday night a success

Curragh general manager Paul Hensey believes the first ever Irish Derby to take place on a Saturday evening has to go down as a big success.

The Dubai Duty Free-sponsored Classic, along with seven other races, were switched from their traditional Sunday afternoon slot, with the feature event concluding the card at 7.40pm. The racing action was followed by a live performance from ex-Boyzone star Ronan Keating.

Hensey believes the wet weather that led up to the start of racing did not help in terms of attendance, but the crowd was still up on the same meeting 12 months ago.