A total of four Irish winners at Cheltenham may have been well below our best but never in the history of the Festival have we have had more challengers in the first four. Out of 66 Irish runners, an astonishing 24 finished first, second, third or fourth, representing a better than one in three average.
One of those trainers who contributed to this remarkable statistic without actually having a winner was Noel Meade.
Apart from Snow Dragon all his horses acquitted themselves with credit and in the absence of the stable's first choice Dardjini, Hill Society came tantalisingly close.
The pick of Meade's weekend runners at home may prove to be Heist in the Bargaincity Carpets Handicap Chase at Gowran Park. He narrowly failed to overhaul Tell The Nipper in the Grand National Trial at Fairyhouse and the winner was a good fourth to Unguided Missile in the William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase.
As is so often the case Irish breds horses dominated Cheltenham and a goodly share of them, including the Tote Gold Cup winner Cool Dawn, had been through the hands of Tom Costello.
Not in the same league but capable of winning a hunter chase is the Costello-trained You Know Best, who won a point-to-point at the United Foxhounds meeting in January.
Penny Native will be hard to beat in the Lukeswell Novice Hurdle even if the big one in his season, the £15,000 0-102 handicap on Ladbroke Day at Leopardstown, slipped away in the face of the strong galloping Total Success.
The Kelly family as owner/trainer/rider should go well with Megan's Run (3-30), a mare who earned her first pay packet when second to Marchaway at Naas last Sunday.
There are two competing Sunday fixtures, Leopardstown and Limerick, and the banker is Father Andy in the Limerick bumper (5.20).
Michael Hourigan rates him highly amongst his young horses and the fact that he finished behind his less fancied stablemate, Tigger's Venture, at Leopardstown is sound evidence that he failed to produce true running there.
That is not to say that he should have beaten the winner because Buckside was one of the unplaced horses to enhance his reputation with a solid run in the Cheltenham bumper.
Jessica Harrington has found winners elusive this winter but Eddie (2.20) has shown promise in both his runs today and should draw.
The prizemoney indicates a low Leopardstown meeting but the opening maiden hurdle is a race that should provide clues to what will be fancied at Fairyhouse over Easter.
Dudley Do Right in the hands of Norman Williamson will be tested by such as Davenport Banquet, Furnitureville, Mykon Gold, Johnny Brushaside and River Rock but he surely can't go on losing narrow decisions.
