They won and lost money in all their summer finery at the Galway Races yesterday evening. After torrential rain ruined the opening of the meeting, the gods smiled and the sun shone down from a perfect blue sky on day two.
"You would have needed wellies and a mac yesterday," said Patricia Healy from Donegal, who was resplendent in lemon silk. "I bought this for Ladies' Day on Thursday but I just decided to wear it today in case the heavens open again and I don't get a chance."
Everybody seemed to be of like mind. They studied the form and watched the horses in the parade ring, in straw hats and summer dresses.
The Taoiseach was joining in the Mediterranean mood. He strolled around Ballybrit, chatting to punters, in an olive-green linen suit. "Doesn't Bertie look cool?" said one admiring female.
His partner, Ms Celia Larkin, opted for a cream and black outfit. Bertie wasn't the only leading politician in attendance. Half the Government seemed to be at Ballybrit. Charlie McCreevy, John O'Donoghue, Jim McDaid and Frank Fahey were all spotted within the space of a few minutes.
"Who the hell is running the country, that's what I'd like to know?" asked a farmer from Mayo. "Sure it's nice to see them taking a break. We all need to get out and enjoy ourselves now and again," said his wife.
It wasn't the best beginning for the bookies when the 5/4 favourite, Get It On, won the opening race. "He's been absent eight months from the track but he's still in fine fettle," said one punter who had backed him.
It was a good day for Christy Roche who trained both Get It On and Hardiman which won the second race. But the main interest of the evening was the £60,500 McDonogh European Breeders' Fund Handicap.
The punters grew restless as it seemed to take ages to load the 20 horses into the stalls. In the end, it was the 20/1 shot Sheer Tenby, which would never have been the pick on form, that triumphed.
At the grand old age of nine and a price of 12/1, Dermot Weld's Free To Speak finished second. It was a bad result for the punters, but nobody seemed to mind. With Galway glistening in the evening sun, who could have possibly complained?