Florida Pearl has finished in front of Dorans Pride before, and by more than the five and a half lengths he beat him by in yesterday's Hennessy Gold Cup, but Irish racing's greatest enigma was a revelation yesterday.
As so often before with Florida Pearl it was the style of victory rather then the bare form that was most striking but this was a style of a different, and possibly more substantial, sort.
Whereas once Willie Mullins's star was ridden with a patience and a restraint more akin to a classic three-year-old than a staying chaser, this time he powered his way to victory from fully a mile out and produced a jumping display of flamboyance rather than mere competence.
It's the tried and trusted manner of three-mile chasers and Florida Pearl looked a three-mile chaser of the very highest class.
It was certainly enough for most bookmakers to replace Looks Like Trouble as the presumed main danger to the 7 to 4 Gold Cup favourite See More Business and more than enough to put broad smiles rather than worry lines on the faces of Mullins and Paul Carberry.
The latter has a riding style suited to classic horses but it's the old fashioned merits of jumping and galloping that really enthuses him and Carberry's post race report was glowing.
"Everything went great. He jumped great, gave me a great feel and I'm very happy with him," he said.
"I gave him time to get confidence over his fences and when he got that we kicked on. I kept a bit up my sleeve in case anything got to us but nothing did and there was no sign of him stopping. He seems to be peaking at the right time."
Mullins, who also landed the bumper with impressive newcomer Adamant Approach, wore the smile of the vindicated afterwards and commented: "I told Paul not to be afraid to make the running. I let him do what he wanted to do and the horse seemed to enjoy himself. It looked a very good performance but I haven't analysed it yet."
Conor O'Dwyer rode Rince Ri into third and said yesterday's race rode better than the Ericsson at Christmas. However, O'Dwyer, who won this race on Imperial Call in 1996, felt that race was better.
Dorans Pride will probably have yet another cut at the Gold Cup with a hurdle start in between but another revelation yesterday was the performance of Danoli who was right in contention until unseating Tommy Treacy at the third last.
"I'm delighted. He just got tired," reported Treacy while Tom Foley confirmed the Red Mills Chase at Gowran in 12 days time will be his next start. However, Foley warned: "Under no circumstances will he run at Cheltenham unless there is cut in the ground."
There is a growing conviction that circumstances do not really matter to JP McManus's star novice Youlneverwalkalone who kept his unbeaten record in style with a sauntering success in the Deloitte & Touche Novice Hurdle.
Conor O'Dwyer seemed more concerned with shielding Youlneverwalkalone from the driving headwind in the straight than with any of the opposition and cruised home by five lengths.
The Christy Roche-trained horse replaced Stage Affair at the head of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle market with Paddy Power but Roche has not decided for definite if it will be that race or a clash with Monsigneur in the SunAlliance Hurdle.
"JP favours the two mile race but I've no fear of the other race either. This horse has lots of pace and stamina but I don't want to get carried away. He has to go to Cheltenham and win first," said Roche who eased his winner's work for five days during the week after the horse's blood was not right. Only on Friday was Youlneverwalkalone a definite runner.
O'Dwyer, currently in the middle of a purple patch, also took the Moriarty Novice Chase on Native Upmanship who is now challenging Martin Pipe's Gloria Victis for SunAlliance Chase favouritism.
However, it was an unsatisfactory race from almost everyone's point of view. The field went so slowly from the start, the English-trained joint favourite Castle Sweep only barely got over the second fence and unseated his jockey and it was only from a mile out that the pace quickened.
Native Upmanship ultimately quickened best of all from Commanche Court but as Arthur Moore said: "With Cheltenham in mind, the pace was a shame."
Moore also took the handicap hurdle with the well-backed Phariwarmer, who received a vintage ride from Charlie Swan while Sungazer sprang a 16 to 1 shock in the Juvenile Hurdle.
