Frank McNally at Cheltenham: It was the sort of symbolism you couldn't make up. On the eve of the crunch rugby match in Cardiff, an Irish horse beat a Welsh one to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
In doing so, he clinched a triple crown for Ireland, following victories in the festival's other big two races: the Champion Hurdle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
OK, the winning distance was only five lengths, whereas Ireland need to win by at least 13 lengths today to lift the big prize. But the omens are still good. It now only remains for Eddie O'Sullivan to get his whip out.
If the rugby team faces an uphill battle, so did Kicking King. Many questioned whether he could survive the famous Cheltenham incline after three miles, and as he took on the challenge, he didn't lack for company. On the last stretch of the four-day festival, we were all breaking new ground yesterday. Somehow we found reserves of stamina we didn't know we had, and when Kicking King made it back to the winners' enclosure, Irish punters managed a suitably raucous reception. It was the eighth of a record nine wins this week. But after idling while in front on Thursday, we were getting our second wind.
This was the proudest day in the career of trainer Tom Taaffe, whose father Pat famously partnered Arkle. But if there was an even prouder man in the winners' enclosure, it was John O'Donoghue. The Minister for Sport beamed like a new father as he attributed Ireland's success to the Government's sometimes-controversial promotion of horse racing. Asked if he was taking all the credit, however, he blushingly denied paternity. "Oh God, no!" he said. "Bertie can take all the credit." He was not the only politician cheering. Among the thousands who backed the winner into favouritism was the former British foreign secretary, Robin Cook. "I'm on Kicking King," he told The Irish Times ahead of the race. He didn't mean this literally, of course. But he is certainly small enough to be a jockey, and even if he had been on him, the horse would probably still have won, such was the ease of his victory. "I had loads of horse left," said Barry Geraghty afterwards.
Unlike Kicking King, Irish racing fans could not yet relax. There was still one more win to celebrate, when the aptly named Fota Island won for JP McManus. Then, finally, the wildlife park that is the Cheltenham racing festival closed down for another year.
Spare a thought, though, for the person from Halifax who stood to win £864,000 if the third-placed Sir Rembrandt had finished two places better in the Gold Cup.
Last January, the far-seeing punter placed a £10 Cheltenham accumulator on Arcalis (then 20-1), Hardy Eustace (10-1), and Trabolgan (10-1) - all winners this week. Unfortunately, the fourth and final leg of the bet was Sir Rembrandt, on to which the £25,410 cumulative winnings rolled yesterday, to an agonising halt.