Bob Treacy's Grand National fall must have come as something of a shock to his jockey Tommy Treacy whose reason to believe that Easter Monday was his lucky day had grown when Unarmed had given him his third successive Jameson Gold Cup.
Castlekelly Leader and Gazalani had scored for the Co. Kilkenny-based rider previously but neither of those travelled down to the last flight any better than Unarmed, whose task was eased by Native Estates' fall at the previous hurdle.
In the past, Unarmed has flattered to deceive, most controversially at Navan in January, but this time he thrived on the dried out ground and went two lengths clear of Amberleigh House.
"He ran well enough at Cheltenham but was in front at the top of the hill and couldn't possibly last home. On that ground he has a nice turn of foot though and will go to Punchestown now," said Unarmed's trainer Paddy Mullins who was winning the prestigious novice hurdle for the fourth time himself.
Despite falling on Native Estates and later on Official Portrait in the Beginners Chase, Paul Carberry will have good memories of yesterday's fixture.
In addition to the National, he also took the Leinster Petroleum Handicap Hurdle on Noel Meade's Fishin' Joella whose stamina held out perfectly well over the extended trip and who came home ahead of Spirit Dancer and Nibalda.
"She does seem to stay well," said Meade. "She was very, very lame after her last race at Naas and we thought she was finished but she recovered well. We'll try and find something similar but Punchestown has a tricky programme for a horse like her."
Another jockey on the double was Kieran Gaule. Darapour and Snow Dragon dominated the betting exchanges for the Peugeot Hurdle but neither had the wherewithal to pass Gaule's mount Shantarini in the straight and the grey, trained in Co. Cavan by Shane Donohoe, battled well to hold them off by half a length.
Gaule's double was completed by Pat Hughes's Aces And Eights in the Beginners Chase where only five finished and Francis Flood picked up a three day ban for careless riding on Ciara's Prince.
The casualty rate in that race reflected how tough a day it was for the jockeys. Six ended up needing treatment, including two in the Grand National. Tom Rudd was taken for x-rays on an elbow and a shoulder after falling from Ontheroadagain and Roundwood's rider Garrett Cotter sustained a laceration under his right eye.
Amateur Martin Horan fractured his right wrist in the second race; Kieran Kelly was stood down for 21 days with concussion in the fifth as was Tom Martin, while Shane McGovern broke a collar bone in the sixth, the handicap chase won by Port Na Son.
Yesterday's crowd of 25,300 was believed to be a modern record for Fairyhouse. Bookmaker turnover was also up, by over £53,000, to £806,628. £185,593 was bet on the Grand National alone. There was also a Tote record with an aggregate of £364,550.
