Two minutes to the start of the Budweiser Irish Derby and half the field don't want to enter the stalls. Ciro is the first to play up and then it's Media Puzzle and King's Best.
Holding Court has to be hooded. "It's like a group of kids, one starts misbehaving and they're all at it," says a Co Donegal teacher. The crowds are amused at the antics of the Irish outsiders and British and French raiders.
But there are gasps of concern when Sinndar, the favourite and Ireland's leading hope, refuses. A race without Sinndar would be no race at all. Sinndar was trained on the Curragh. He's the local champion.
Winner of the English Derby, he's back for glory on home turf. It takes a crew of hefty handlers several attempts to shove him into the stalls. The crowd cheers.
Everybody is there. The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy; the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen; Senator George Mitchell; former Taoiseach Mr Reynolds; former world snooker champion Alex Higgins; Big Breakfast presenter Donna Air.
The rain stays off for the Derby but it had poured earlier, flattening feathers and flowers on hundreds of hats. Pink and turquoise are in vogue. A Corkman is wearing pyjamas.
But the real excitement is on the track. Sinndar isn't travelling that well. His jockey Johnny Murtagh is working at him. The crowd's concern is palpable. But then Sinndar is sent to the front and the result is never in doubt.
He gallops them into submission, winning by an impressive nine lengths. The Curragh goes crazy. Johnny Murtagh blows them kisses. "Sinndar was fantastic. Once I gave him a few smacks, he really took off. He's a genuine, tough horse - the sort you want on your side in a battle."
Two winners in the fashion stakes were Ms Renee Quirke, from Donnybrook, Dublin, who triumphed in the Funky Fashion Competition, while Ms Karen Murray, from Ballsbridge, Dublin, was the Best Dressed Person.
Renee wore a fuchsia-and-lime outfit and a hat she "made with a glue gun and a few feathers" the night before. "My shoes are Gucci, it's a Louis Vuitton handbag and I've a St Tropez fake tan."
There was nothing fake at the presentation for the Derby winner. Sinndar took it all in his stride but Johnny Murtagh was kissing again - this time the crystal trophy.
Winning the English/Irish Derby double secured a $1 million bonus for Sinndar's owner, the Aga Khan. But anybody who saw the elation on the faces of jockey, trainer and crowd, knew it was about much, much more than money.