The warning signs were everywhere to be seen at the start of the Galway Races in Ballybrit yesterday. As thousands of punters prepared to lose their shirts during the six-day festival - during which an estimated £10 million in bets will be placed - one man pulled his off before the first race started and strode quickly towards the exit.
At the other end of the racecourse, waiters flicked imaginary specks of dust from the tables in the champagne tent, as they waited for the winners.
The starting price for an "elegant" Moet et Chandon Brut Imperial was £42. For those who harboured more Kinsealean ambitions, however, a bottle of Dom Perignon was £95.
Mindful, perhaps, of the myriad of temptations available, one punter sported a T-shirt with a blunt message. "I spent most of my money on beer and women, and the rest I just wasted." With guaranteed daily jackpots of £25,000 to £50,000, and an expected attendance of 30,000 for the Digital Galway Plate tomorrow, the bookies were happy to sweat it out in the evening sunshine yesterday. Meanwhile, gardai issued traditional warnings about pickpockets and traffic delays, while five helicopter companies began ferrying in well-heeled cargo from Ashford Castle and other haunts.