At time of writing, an announcement was expected at any moment from Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) regarding the number of spectators permitted to attend the Irish Champions Weekend fixtures at Leopardstown and the Curragh on Saturday and Sunday, 11 and 12 September.

Since the start of July only 500 members of the public have been allowed attend a race meeting, a limit which has puzzled and frustrated many people who have seen far bigger numbers allowed into other sports events.

The reason given by public health officials for limiting racecourse attendance is that, unlike spectators at a GAA game, racegoers do not stay in their seats for an hour and a half and then go home.

Typically a racegoer is on-site for three or four hours and they are constantly moving about and socialising, possibly with a drink or two on board.

Plenty of commentators and stakeholders have dismissed this view as nonsensical, preferring to emphasise the fact that racegoers are outdoors all the time they are on track and there is far more room to move about than there is at a stadium, where people are huddled together.

Horse Racing Ireland has been lobbying the Government to allow up to 5,000 people attend the Champions Weekend fixtures and possibly the Listowel Festival too.

Rumour has it that the Government, or Nphet, or whoever makes these decisions, is ready to accede to the request.

However, it is understood that both Leopardstown and the Curragh would actually struggle to safely accommodate 5,000 spectators without having access to any of their indoor facilities.

For that reason, both tracks are pressing hard to be allowed open up their restaurants and private boxes. If that is not permitted, then it seems likely that neither track will actually let in 5,000 on the day.

Whatever happens, tickets for the public are going to be scarce. If and when tickets do become available for purchase, preference will be given to those who have expressed an interest in attending by registering on the Curragh and Leopardstown websites.

If you have any desire to be there, you should take the tip and get your name on that list now.