In the appallingly heavy conditions at Punchestown yesterday, the form horses performed surprisingly well but the £50,000 BMW Handicap Chase proved to be the exception.
It wasn't so much Big Matt's 16 to 1 starting price that stung rather that few gave him any sort of chance at all on the ground, including his trainer Nicky Henderson.
"I thought he would really hate it," the delighted Lambourn trainer said. "He had been working really well until we galloped him on the soft on Saturday and he was awful. But he was second in this last year and deserved another go."
The "give it a go" attitude paid off in what turned into an incident packed race.
The market had been dominated by Klairon Davis, trying to win the race for the third time, and the spring heeled favourite Edredon Bleu but thoughts of a match only lasted to the second fence.
Klairon Davis took quite a hold under Richard Dunwoody and crashed to the soggy ground. "He guessed at it," reported Dunwoody but any thoughts Tony McCoy may have had about having a solo in front were dashed by Edredon Bleu making a terrible mistake at the fourth.
Opera Hat's effort was also effected by mistakes and when they came to three out, it was Lord Dorcet who appeared to be going best of all. Edredon Bleu crashed at this but just when Lord Dorcet looked to have the race won, Mick Fitzgerald produced Big Matt to lead at the last and win by nine lengths.
"He doesn't really like this ground but then who does," Fitzgerald commented who significantly added: "He is so much better going right handed."
Left handed or right handed, it makes no difference to His Song and French Ballerina who produced an epic finish to the Country Pride Champion Novice Hurdle. It was cat and mouse between the two until McCoy kicked His Song past the mare four out. Graham Bradley did such a fine job of nursing French Ballerina, however, that they were locked together at the last.
French Ballerina actually went a head up on the run in but His Song rallied to such good effect that he was the one with his head in front on the line.
"She's run a blinder. The ground just beat her," said French Ballerina's trainer Pat Flynn. His Song's trainer Mouse Morris concurred saying that she couldn't accelerate like she had at Cheltenham but Morris has a fantastic prospect for novice chases next season.
"I don't really know his trip. He may get three miles but I'm not committing myself to anything yet," Morris said.
McCoy went on to also land the Bradstock Insurances Novice Chase on Michael Cunningham's Fiddlers Tune who completely reversed Fairyhouse form with the runner up and favourite Delphi Lodge.
"Tony told me his biggest problem was keeping him concentrated. He much prefers having a lead," Cunningham said. McCoy, however, grabbed the race by the scruff of the neck down the back straight and on the ground, nothing looked like accelerating enough to catch him.
Brendan Powell returned from riding in Japan at the weekend to win the Rohcon Handicap Chase on Miss Diskin, trained in Dorset by Bob Buckler. Miss Diskin finished alone after her four nearest rivals refused the last fence. Those four eventually got over at the second attempt but Buckler was probably alone when he grinned: "The more it rained, the more I smiled. She loves the mud."
It was after this that the stewards met with five senior jockeys and decided to proceed with the remainder of the meeting.
That allowed Spirit Dancer to win the handicap hurdle despite diving at the last obstacle and Robbie Walsh's confidence in Golden Alpha's stamina was vindicated when Paddy Mullins' horse made all to win the bumper.
