There were two St Patrick's Day winners for Ireland but while Oulart's Pertemps Final victory was greeted with appropriate raucousness, the relative silence that greeted the 40 to 1 success of Another Rum in the National Hunt Chase spoke volumes for the amount of festive cheer in the betting ring.
Another Rum was just a second runner at Cheltenham for his Co Antrim trainer Ian Duncan and a first ever ride for the 24 year old Warrenpoint amateur Mark O'Hare who had only partnered five previous winners.
It wasn't the sort of profile that screamed festival banker beforehand and instead it was the well-backed Point Barrow who started favourite with another Irish horse Keepatem second best in the market for the four mile marathon.
However the latter never really threatened and Point Barrow flattered only to deceive on the turn in. In fact to add salt to punters wounds the runner-up spot went to a 150 to 1 Irish outsider Caislean Ui Cuain who is also trained in the North, near Dungannon, by Jimmy Lambe.
The exacta payment was a colossal 4084 to 1 but no one in either Northern camp was complaining. Instead they wondered how Another Rum was allowed start at 40 to 1.
"I thought that was tremendous value. I knew he would improve for the better ground and that is obviously his type of distance," said Duncan who could now aim his winner at the Scottish Grand National. "I had a runner in bumper here before but if I can keep up a 50 per cent strike rate I'll be happy!"
Oulart's 10 to 1 triumph under Paul Carberry appeared to be more to the betting public's taste after the horse added to an already wonderful week for Dessie Hughes by proving two lengths too good for the 66 to 1 outsider Mioche D'Estruval in the last. "I gave him a sneaky chance," grinned Hughes.
"He won on heavy ground at Christmas and we knew he would prefer this. Once Korelo came out we got a nice weight and then we got Paul (Carberry.) It's all worked out." The double brought Ireland's total for the festival so far to seven winners. That leaves the old record total of eight in 1958, when races were divided, very much under threat today.
Rathgar Beau's experience in the Daily Telegraph Trophy was less than smooth. Dusty Sheehy's horse looked set to challenge Thisthatandtother and Fondmort but made a mistake at the last.
Thisthatandtother was rewarded for his consistency by proving half a length superior to Fondmort at the finish but Sheehy wondered: "Who knows, but I did think we were going best. We could go to Aintree now." Liverpool is also the target for the winner who provided Paul Nicholls with his first success of the week. His Champion Chase disappointment Azertyuiop was found to have torn muscles in his abdomen.
Nicky Henderson made up for Fondmort's defeat when another outsider, the 25 to 1 Liberthine, came home seven lengths clear of Banker Count in the Mildmay of Flete.
Owned by Robert Waley-Cohen, the winner was ridden by the owner's amateur son Sam who took time out from studying politics at Edinburgh University.
King Harald landed some significant bets when making all in the opening Jewson Handicap Chase but punters could thank jockey Mattie Batchelor's determination after he lost an iron at the last and kicked away the other stirrup to ride to the finish sitting down.
