Punchestown Report: As Brave Inca battled to an Emo Oil Champion Hurdle success at Punchestown yesterday the old cliche about perspiration being more important than inspiration was impossible to ignore. Just as at Cheltenham, the heavy odds-on favourite Harchibald conspired to turn apparent victory into tear-your-hair-out defeat.

It may be unfair to the wonderfully rugged Brave Inca, but as he and his new jockey Tony McCoy returned to a huge reception, there was no denying that once again some of the winner's thunder was stolen by the enigma that is Harchibald.

Yet again the Noel Meade-trained horse travelled superbly throughout, and unlike Cheltenham he had a small field and a funereal early pace in his favour. But even that wasn't enough.

McCoy had struck for home after the third last but as he and Macs Joy slugged it out Carberry delivered Harchibald to just lead at the last. Not surprisingly McCoy didn't give up.

"I knew I wouldn't have him beaten at the last so I got stuck into my horse and he found plenty," the British champion said afterwards.

If only Carberry could say the same. Harchibald went from cruise to lose in a matter of strides. Only a head separated him from Brave Inca at the line, but there was a terrible inevitability about it. "The performance today proved Paul did nothing wrong at Cheltenham," said Meade. "That's racing; you get beaten sometimes."

Brave Inca's trainer Colm Murphy now has the enviable job of deciding over the summer to either stay hurdling or start at novice chase career. McCoy had little doubt, however. "He is a tough horse with lots of class and there is no reason why he cannot go back to Cheltenham and win a Champion Hurdle," he said.

There was also plenty resolution on show in the Menolly Champion Novice Hurdle as the favourite Asian Maze made all for an impressive success. Royal Paradise's absence left the door wide open for the Tom Mullins-trained mare to end the season in style and she didn't disappoint.

The biggest crowd of the week, a massive 25,092, crammed into Punchestown yesterday to bring the total attendance figure for the festival to 77,482. That was an increase of over 4,000 on last year.

The bookmaker turnover yesterday was 2,488,054 compared to last year's 2,078,149 and it brought the total for the week to 10.5 million. The Emo Oil Champion Hurdle was the biggest betting race of the week at €657,287.

The Tote turnover reached 1,083,013, an increase from last year's 954,536, and it brought the total for the four days to just over 4 million.