RACING: Clumps of ice doggedly held their ground in the Leopardstown winner's enclosure but a St Stephen's Day to remember for Irish racing was ultimately all about a more traditional threat - the final fence. Brian O'Connor reports from Leopardstown

Kicking King and Barry Geraghty somehow survived a howling error at the last obstacle to win Kempton's King George VI Chase and rekindle some of the most magical memories the game has.

Kicking King's trainer Tom Taaffe never rode at Kempton during an illustrious riding career, but his father Pat was a King George winner on Arkle and then trained Captain Christy to win it twice.

Such names are now almost mythical but on top of everything else, the latest Irish winner almost had to muscle past another "big name" as a man in a Santa Claus suit only marginally missed being run over by Kicking King as he battled to victory.

"I nearly knocked down Santa Claus!" grinned a relieved Geraghty who admitted: "After the mistake I was hanging on to the horse's ears at one stage. But he was good. I gave him a smack and he went again."

Tom Taaffe was able to see the funny side: "There is no point having a big race, and having the crowd here, without having any drama - we won't charge extra!"

But the impact of victory on the 41-year-old from Straffan was clear when he added: "I'm just very proud for my parents that I was able to do something like this."

Harchibald provided another Grade One Irish success at Kempton when Paul Carberry's nerves made the Christmas snow look warm.

The former champion Rooster Booster was a distance clear at one stage in the Christmas Hurdle and the others looked to have no hope of catching him. But somehow Carberry timed it perfectly to lead in the closing strides.

"That was incredible. I thought he had no chance," said Harchibald's trainer Noel Meade who watched on the big screen at Leopardstown. However, Meade didn't have to wait long to find out how fortune can change.

If Geraghty got lucky at the last, then the leading amateur jockey Niall Madden had victory torn from his grasp when Sir Oj made a dreadful mistake at the final fence of Leopardstown's Grade One Durkan New Homes Novice Chase. Try as he did, 19-year-old Madden, who had earlier successfully substituted for Carberry on Arch Rebel, couldn't stop himself from being unseated and the mistake allowed in Mariah Rollins to win.

There was a certain symmetry to the victory too as the mare had been beaten on her previous start in similar circumstances. "Mariah Rollins made a mistake at the last that day behind Sir Oj and in fairness Kicking King showed today what can happen in this game," said the winning trainer Pat Fahy.

The irony afterwards was that while Mariah Rollins was left unchanged at 20 to 1 for the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham in March, Paddy Power slashed Sir Oj's price by half for the same race to 16 to 1.

But prices don't mean everything and the point has rarely been better made than when Baron De Feypo sprang a 20 to 1 shock in the handicap hurdle.Such SPs turn up sometimes but the winner paid over 85 to 1 on the Tote and his efforts also set off one of the most distinctive voices in racing.

Oliver Brady, who trains in Co Monaghan, and has been bravely fighting cancer in recent years, is a true character and his post-race celebrations were well up to their usual ebullient standards.

"Brady's the name and racing's the game!" roared Brady to an appreciative crowd in the winner's enclosure. A bank of photographers, eager to catch Brady in full flow, were promptly ordered to turn around and get as many of "his friends" as possible into the shots.

The 20-year-old amateur rider, Jason McKeown, was a little more low-key in his celebrations, but he picked one of the prestige days of the year to ride his first winner on Corrigeenroe in the last.

Noel Meade, who also had the favourite Celtic Sammy in the race, was winding up a day to remember with a double at Leopardstown and a prestige winner in Britain. "It's one of the great days. We had one hiccup but these things happen," he said.

The meeting continues today with the €170,000 Paddy Power Chase the most valuable race on a card that also includes Moscow Flyer's attempt at a three in a row in the Dial-a-Bet Chase.