Colm Greaves: How to survive Christmas festivals

Christmas meetings attract some of the healthiest attendances of the year, many of them newbies (or nearly newbies) to the experience of festival racing. 

PROLOGUE

In a recent (and completely imaginary) survey, a carefully chosen group of respondents from around the world were asked to come up with words that best describe the characteristics they associate with Irish people. In no particular order, the following were their top ten. Festivals, friendship, fun, food, fresh air, family, pints, wagering, sport – and finally, racehorses.