Irish are in fashion at Epsom

As a nation inebriated with most things equine, much of the past two decades have been a bit hard to take. In that time, whenever the Epsom Derby has come about, we've felt a bit like teetotallers invited to a riotous party but not allowed to sample the wares.

It had to change, of course, and, in fairness, Channel 4 - by now dab hands when it comes to the big occasion - did a mighty job on Saturday in welcoming the Irish revellers back to the soiree.

If you feel that the Grand National is the "people's race", then think again. On the Epsom Downs they gather in their hundreds of thousands for what, as Walter Swinburn, jockey-turned-analyst, reminded us was "the greatest race in the world".

Most of the peasants, it must be said, were confined to the Hills area where giant television screens, oceans of alcohol and one band after another performed on stage. Most were there for the social gathering, not for the races, and probably wouldn't know a thoroughbred from a pony. But they added enormously to the occasion.

Even in the paddock area, where the high and mighty congregated, it seemed that ignorance was bliss. One of the Channel 4 team did a vox pop of the well-dressed racegoers. It was interesting to listen to who, and the reasons why, they felt that their particular fancy would win the big one.

"Aristotle," announced one suntanned woman, for no reason other than she liked the name.

"Sarky," said another, obviously intending "Sakhee". The man with the microphone wanted to know more. "Didn't you know?" she replied. "There's this pub here in Epsom and someone writes the name outside and for the last four years it's won. So there!"

Only when he came to a tie-less Irishman with a glint in his eyes did he get anyone talking sense. "Sinndarr," came the response when asked who would win. "He's got a great chance . . . won well at Leopardstown . . . can go on hard and soft ground." You could almost hear John McCririck growling somewhere in the distance as the unnamed Irishman stole his thunder.

Indeed, it seemed that fashion, as much as horse racing, was an integral part of the build-up to the big race, and a doyen of American fashion by the name of Brix Smith was rolled out by presenter Derek Thompson to give us the low down on the fashion trends on view.

"Henry Cecil told me during the week that black and white were the traditional colours of the Derby, so I'm wearing white - with a little twist by wearing trousers," Smith informed us. Only thing was, as she soon discovered, it was only the men who were wearing black and white - in their tops and tails - and most of the women were dressed head to toe in pink in their Valentino suits, hats with feathers and Cartier watches.

When she told Thompson that some of the women had rented out their hats, he was obviously taken aback. "You can rent hats? I didn't realise that," he said. "Ooohhhh yes," said Smithy. "It's great. If you get sick of it, just hand it back."

Maybe McCririck had rented his - a top hat with touches of pink and purple running through it - or else his fashion sense is truly out the window, but he was able to advise us that there had been a rush of ante-post money on Sinndar in the week preceding the race. "He's gone from 16 to 1 a week ago down to 7 to 1."

Indeed, the host station had an integral link with the Aga Khan - owner of Sinndar - whose first Derby winner was Shergar back in 1981. Walter Swinburn was Shergar's jockey on that occasion and he provided a terrific insight of his various derby-winning rides up to Lammtarra's success in the 1995 race. Of that particular win, Swinburn reminisced: "I pulled him out, my whip in the left hand, and he never ventured off a straight line. It was like a knife through butter."

Earlier we'd been introduced to the trainer of Barathea Guest, who didn't come across as your typical Newmarket trainer at all, at all. George Margarson's father was a Grimsby fisherman and the son seemed to have inherited a touch of life's realities from his old man. Margarson informed us that he actually rode out the horse himself on occasions and that "he loves a challenge, he's a bit of a comedian".

If an Irish horse wasn't going to win, then, we decided, he was the one we would like to triumph. The suspicion remained, however, that this would be a day for the Irish. Maybe it was the fact that our man in the IT had tipped Sinndar, or just the assertiveness of our tieless friend by the parade ring, but every nuance about the horse indicated that the day would belong to him.

On the way down to the start, we were reminded that Sinndar was "guaranteed to stay and won't give up easily". Unlike the strangely named Zyz, who John Francome informed us was "100 to 1, which is just about right judged on his form so far".

And what about Cracow's chances? "His owner runs a language school and there will be some bad language from the punters if he is successful," we were told.

Down at the start, Channel 4's observations of the "positives" and "negatives" of the various horses failed to mention Sinndar. We didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing, but when the race got under way, it was immediately obvious that Kingsclere was running a different race to everyone as the horse stormed ahead and stuck to the middle of the track and ran a couple of furlongs farther than anyone else.

Race commentator Jim McGrath knew that Kingsclere's race was finished long before the end and articulately brought us a blow-byblow account of the real movers and shakers. As they headed into the straight, only Sakhee and Sinndar really mattered and the two went head-to-head to the finishing post.

"Sakhee's reeled in. . . Sinndar wins the Vodafone Derby," said the Aussie voiceman. "A bold run by Sakhee, a horse who doesn't like to be passed but he met his match in Sinndar, he was just too strong for all of them in the end."

Winning jockey Johnny Murtagh was still in the saddle, out on the track, when he had to give his first words. "I dedicate this to John Oxx and the Aga Khan. A few years ago I had some trouble and they stood by me," said Murtagh, who added: "You don't get a better battler than this fella, he's the best colt I rode ever." And then Murtagh spent the next while waving to his two kids watching at home.

"That gives Ireland their 11th win in the Derby . . . and it's the first sime since 1958 that they've won the Grand National and the Derby in the same year," McCririck told us, adding that a "lot of shrewd judges have been rewarded" by getting their money on Sinndar in the week running up to the race.

Murtagh, who seemed like a genuine sort of guy, continued to wave at the cameras and to shake hand after hand as he made his way into the jockeys' room. Later he told us that he had a constant battle to make the weight and that a diet of vegetables and fish was a typical meal each day.

All quite unlike the beer-bellied masses crammed into the picnic area in the Hills, once-a-year racegoers listening to Stephen Gately and other artistes like Heather Small and the Honies, and who were undoubtedly indulging in such delights as burgers and pork pies. All blissfully unaware of the physical demands placed on someone like Murtagh in his quest to win "the greatest race in the world", but nonetheless all part of a great occasion.