IT'S FLAT TRACKS AND BEACH JOYS

Simon Nott trails the bookies at Leopardstown, The Curragh and Laytown

- Simon Nott

It's always a pleasure to be asked to work in Ireland, the only thing I'm not too keen on is the almost always early start to get there.

When I say early start, I mean when the party animals are still going strong, alarm set for 2.45am in order to get to Bristol Airport in time to catch the 6.15 to Dublin. I did toy with the idea of having an extra half and hour in bed anticipating a quiet airport at that time of the morning. Having done so would have been a rick of monumental proportions, the place was heaving, it appeared that several revellers had decided to throw an all-nighter prior to their flight, unlike the seasoned gentleman of the turf of course.

For anyone that hasn't been to Leopardstown, it's easy from the airport via buses or from the city centre via the Luas tram. The bus will take you there for about a tenner and the Luas a fiver return. There's a free shuttle to the course from Sandyford Luas station. The last time I was at Leopardstown it was for the Dublin Racing Festival, a meeting that has soared in popularity in recent years and literally buzzes with atmosphere. It wasn't quite the same on Saturday, there was a decent crowd but it felt like a Saturday meeting rather than the festival it was billed as, day one of the two day Irish Champions Weekend. One of the first people I met was my old pal Desmond White a much respected veteran of the Irish betting ring and truth be known a magnet on the joint to ladies of a certain age.