POLITICIANS WERE conspicuous by their absence from the first two days of the National Hunt Festival in Co Kildare this week, but as the first race went to post yesterday a political frontrunner stormed into the reckoning.
Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue was the first TD seen passing the post in Punchestown this week. Draped in a sharp jacket and with a race card firmly clasped in his hand, the Kerryman’s surge towards trackside indicated he was there to make up for lost time.
“Have they been conspicuous by their absence?” he asked, as it was pointed out that the numbers attending from Leinster House were down.
“Well you see we’ve been very busy. I haven’t been able to come because of business in the Dáil. It just hasn’t been possible for us to get out.” In spite of his busy schedule, it was clear that the Ceann Comhairle had found sometime to study the form between recent votes in the Dáil.
“I like Forpadydeplasterer, he’s trained by a Kerryman named Tom Cooper . . . I suppose Ruby [Walsh] will have another great day and I like Fiveforthree and I suppose that, inevitably, Willie Mullins will win the bumper.”
Mr O’Donoghue was just one of 16,193 who gathered in glorious sunshine at Punchestown yesterday. He was joined by his Dáil colleague Michael Lowry, ex-Irish soccer international Ronnie Whelan and Kiwi rugby analyst Brent Pope.
“My mother breeds horses very successfully in New Zealand,” Pope said.“So I’m steeped in horse history, but I didn’t follow her, I went off the tracks and into rugby instead.”
With the important matter of a Heineken Cup semi-final between Munster and Leinster approaching, Pope said he was very happy to get in a day at the races before the serious business began.
“The match is going to be very tight. I think a lot of people have written off Leinster, but I’ve always thought they had one big game in them,” he said.
