JIMMY FARNAN'S wife regularly tells him he should be going to Lourdes instead of Cheltenham, writes Alison Healyin Cheltenham.
But she still got up at 6.30am yesterday to make sandwiches and pack tea bags for her 76-year-old husband's annual pilgrimage to the Mecca of horseracing.
He is one of a group of eight racing enthusiasts travelling from Skryne, Co Meath, for the four-day festival which begins this afternoon. More than 40,000 Irish people will fly or take the ferry to create the cacophony of Irish accents at Prestbury Park.
There may have been one person on the 1.10pm flight from Dublin to Birmingham yesterday who was not going to Cheltenham but it was highly unlikely as almost every passenger appeared to have a copy of the Racing Post tucked under their oxter.
Jimmy Farnan has lost count of the number of trips to Cheltenham, but Dawn Run winning the Gold Cup was "electric, but then any time an Irish horse wins it's electric".
And with more than 200 Irish-trained horses entered in this year's festival, punters will be hoping for many electric moments.
Only five Irish victories were totted up last year compared with 10 in 2006, but racing fans arriving in Cheltenham yesterday were not expecting many more this week.
"We might get a few wins unexpectedly," said Gerry Kennedy from Meath, while seasoned racegoer Gretta Colbert from Dublin was erring on the side of caution. This is her 13th trip to Cheltenham and she loves every minute of it. "When you go into the racecourse on the first day, the hairs stand on the back of your neck."
Her friend, Mary Duff, was taking the trip for the first time.
"I wouldn't miss it at home on the television so it's great to be here finally."
The two friends are on opposite sides on the great Kauto Star versus Denman debate. The stable-mates will square up to each other on Friday for the highlight of the week, the Gold Cup. It is being billed as the most exciting race since Arkle took on Mill House in 1964.
Gloucestershire was battered by winds and rain on Sunday night and Monday, and the forecast does not look much better for today. Hold on to your hat. It's going to be a bumpy ride.