Here we Tango
Ace jockey turned dancing queen Nina glad to be back on home turf
DANCING With The Stars winner Nina Carberry led the glamour parade at the first day of the Punchestown Racing Festival.
Nina was among the 14,562 punters who flocked to the Kildare racecourse for the return of the Punchestown Festival after two years behind closed doors.
Rumours are rife Nina’s pro dance partner Pasquale La Rocca is in talks to join Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC after he lifted the Glitterball trophy alongside the champion jockey on this year’s RTE One show.
Weeks after their win, Pasquale is now rumoured to be in talks with bosses to join the BBC show to replace Aljaz Skorjanec. Nina shared the heartfelt message he sent her the morning after the rumours, saying he didn’t know what was happening.
She told us at the races yesterday: “He said, ‘Thank you partner, this morning is all over the papers, who knows.’”
The Meath native admitted she would love to see Pasquale dance on Strictly Come Dancing.
She said: “I’d love to. Of course I would. I’d be like, ‘I danced with him!’”
Nina joked that she feels she is more recognisable from winning Dancing With The Stars now than winning the Grand National.
She said: “It’s brilliant. I got more of a reaction from the public than winning the Grand National. For me, it hit everyone from two-year-olds to 90-yearolds so it is just an amazing audience that the show has. I can’t believe it [winning the show].
“I just took it week by week and I felt like I would just give it my all every week and probably get voted out and half hoping I would, to end it,” she laughed
“It was full on. I can’t explain to you how full on it was, my head was fried. I really enjoyed it, I gave it my all.
“Dancing With
The Stars brought my profile up a little bit. But they do associate me with racing. I tell people I’m a dancer now, it’s very funny.”
She also said she was delighted to be back on the racing track, adding: “Fairyhouse had a massive crowd and the reaction from them before the National was brilliant to see.
“It’s nice that that atmosphere is back and I can’t wait to see how Punchestown fares out.”
Meanwhile, Mighty Potter claimed a surprise victory in the Bective Stud Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown.
A field of five runners went to post for the first Grade One of this year’s festival, with much of the pre-race focus on the Willie Mullins-trained
pair of Sir Gerhard and Dysart Dynamo.
Gordon Elliott said: “It’s brilliant to win the first two races. I know it’s not going to be smooth sailing all week and when Willie gets going it will probably be like a steam train!
“I’m very lucky with all the support I have in the yard.”
And the Champion Chase hero Energumene downed his stablemate and last year’s winner Chacun Pour Soi in an absorbing William Hill Champion Chase.
Trainer Willie Mullins said: “Energumene took the mantle off Chacun Pour Soi today. I was delighted with Chacun Pour Soi, he jumped well and finished his race and he hasn’t done that for his last couple of runs, so at least he’s making progress and he’ll probably have another season racing.
“Energumene deserves all the plaudits as he did it the hard way today. He looks really good because he can do it on all types of ground.
“We were worried he might not act on it to his best.”
Elsewhere, away from the parade ring, the Bollinger Tent was packed with stylish ladies all dressed up to compete in the racing festival’s best dressed competition.
The head of Barretstown Children’s Charity, Dee Ahearn, from Kilcullen in Kildare, was crowned winner of the first day of the Bollinger Best Dressed Ladies competition.
Dressed in a turquoise outfit, delighted Dee revealed she had her dress designed back in 2019 ahead of meeting Hillary Clinton.
She said: “I designed my outfit myself and it was made for me by a girl in Naas called Liz Byrne. She’s a brilliant designer and she’s fantastic.
“I had the dress made for Hillary Clinton visiting town in 2019 and so I haven’t had the chance to wear the dress since.
“I bought the hat here from one of the milliners here in town and my bag is Prada and my shoes are Nine West
and I can’t believe I’ve won. “She [Hillary] said my dress was beautiful. So it sat in my wardrobe for that long so it’s lovely to wear it.” Speaking about winning the competition on the first day, she said: “I actually can’t believe it, I’m so delighted, I’m thrilled.”
And glam led the races, with many punters dressing up for the day out.
Pharmaceutical company Mckesson Ireland treated their staff to a day off after a long two-and-a-half years.
Colleagues Ailbhe Mcmackin and Eve Mortimer usually attend Galway Races but travelled up to Punchestown to soak up the atmosphere.
Dressed in a monochrome number from Coast, accessorised with a Chanel bag, Ailbhe said: “I really hope it rains because I’ve got an umbrella!
“I customised it myself. Coast dress, Chanel bag and Hat is from Tocchica and I’ve always loved My Fair Lady so I’ve always thought that racing should be black and white, hence the outfit.
“We’re all now in a different world after Covid. I opened my wardrobe and was like, I’ve got 40,000 dresses here, I really shouldn’t keep buying.
“It’s great to get out and see people’s faces again. Our company is pharmaceutical so we looked after the Covid vaccine so it’s been a long, tough stint but you’d be really proud of being involved in that.”