Two thin strips of ground across the Tralee straight dominated the opening day of the festival, with one exasperated jockey describing them as "bottomless pits" and another as "just not acceptable".
The problem traces back to the June meeting, after which the course authorities tried to deal with complaints from the jump jockeys about the hurdles not being straight enough.
The ground around the two hurdles in the straight was dug up, and rock was taken out. But yesterday, with bad weather turning the ground officially "yielding to soft", the result was a disaster for the flat riders.
"It's soft going anyway, but on those two bits of ground, the horses are going in twice as deep. It's very false ground and just not acceptable. Someone could easily have a fall and it's just not on," said Kevin Manning.
Wayne Smith and Niall McCullagh accompanied Manning when he complained to the stewards after the third race, which was won by Guignol.
Smith, who had finished third on the favourite, Polish Legion, said: "I thought my horse would win when he quickened but then he hit that bit of ground. It felt like a bottomless pit and it could have cost me the race."
Manning later said he was hopeful the surface would be better when the rails are moved in for today's racing, and the clerk of the course, Peter McGouran, commented: "It's an old problem that we tried to deal with. We're keeping an eye on it and I'm sure it will be alright by tomorrow when it dries out."
Manning's experience in the preceding two-year-old maiden was unpleasant also, as his mount, the favourite Gold Prospector, appeared to stumble at the first controversial area, then dramatically swished her tail yet ultimately missed out by only a short head to Ann's Annie.
After those two races all eyes were glued on the later mile handicap, but it passed off without incident with Planet Clare coming home an easy winner from Kilbride King.
It was the cut in the ground that provided the ideal surface for Tisrabraq, who fought back after being headed fully three hurdles out by Akasian to win by two and a half lengths in the featured Patsy Byrne Handicap Hurdle.
"The ground helped a lot. It turned the race into a stamina test," admitted trainer Frances Crowley who will prepare the six-year-old for Listowel next.
The defection of Cloda's Minstrel from the Beginners Chase seemed to allow the 4 to 5 favourite Royal Marine an ideal opportunity in the Beginners Chase, but not for the first time Arthur Moore's horse flattered to deceive and failed by three lengths to peg back Quality First.
"He's had more setbacks than a Royal marriage," quipped trainer Eddie Lynam after his sole chaser, Rhum Dancer, fought back to beat Magical Way in the handicap chase.
The joint favourites, Diamond Melody (unseated rider at the fourth) and Truckinabout (fell five out), had departed by then, but Lynam added: "He deserved that. He's had tendon problems, surgery and everything else. We got him sound this year but he kept finishing second."
The 4 to 6 favourite Circus Maximus led fully a mile out in the Cross Maiden and was never sighted by the rest as he cantered home by a distance under championship leader Pat Smullen, hitting the 53 mark
Betting turnover for the first day of the Festival was down well over £100,000. A total of £279,656 was bet with the bookmakers yesterday compared to a corresponding 1999 figure of £396,243. Yesterday's Tote figure of £53,560 compares to the 1999 figure of £62,243.
