'It will be great to see people' - Curragh boss thrilled to see crowds return

Curragh boss Pat Keogh has described his excitement ahead of welcoming paying customers back to the track on Saturday for the first time since autumn 2019 and labelled the Derby day pilot event an important step towards welcoming owners back to racecourses as a whole in Ireland.

But Keogh warned the 1,000 who will be lucky enough to attend the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby that it will be a raceday experience far removed from what punters may be used to.

Raceday personnel, such as jockeys, trainers and members of the media, will be separated from the general public with no crossover, but Keogh is confident the Curragh can put on a show befitting of its billing in the circumstances.

He explained: “It won't be like a normal meeting. The racecourse will be divided in two between owners, trainers and industry personnel on one side and the general public on the other. Half of the parade ring will be dedicated to the general public and the front of the grandstand as well.

"We will make it as good as we can. This is an important step for the return of racing for the wider audience. This is a trial event and we are carrying a lot of responsibility for racing in Ireland.

Keogh added: “It will be great to see people back on a racecourse. It will provide a bit of atmosphere and we're really excited about it. There has been nobody on track to appreciate the quality racing since March 2020.

"I know the streaming figures have been very high and lots of people are engaging with the sport through social media but, when you saw great horses on the track, you were left wishing that there were people here to enjoy it. That was very evident when tickets went on sale. They were sold out within ten minutes.”

Tickets were sold for €25, with €10 from every ticket sold going directly to the Peter McVerry Trust for homelessness in Kildare. Some tickets were donated to frontline workers but demand far exceeded supply.

Keogh explained: “We sold the tickets for €25, which is way lower than they normally go for. We just wanted to welcome the locals back. We also wanted to recognise what was going on within the community, so we gave 50 tickets to frontline workers who are based in the Curragh camp. We gave tickets to people in the local community as well. The demand for tickets was about six times more than we could cater for. It's just a pity more people cannot attend.”

Read more on the Irish Derby:

'Winning the Irish Derby would give us one of our best days in racing'

Confirmed runners and riders for Saturday's Irish Derby at the Curragh

Rossa Ryan eager to return for biggest ride of career on Mojo Star this weekend (Members' Club)

Seamie Heffernan: staying power is High Definition's trump card in Irish Derby

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