Racing:Sir Des Champs put up an unbelievable performance to pluck the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle from out of the clouds and land Ireland's 13th winner of the Cheltenham Festival.
Sent off the 9-2 favourite, the five-year-old was in the rear throughout under trainer Willie Mullins' nephew, Emmet Mullins. His chance appeared to have evaporated when he was caught up in a melee at the top of the hill but his young jockey did not panic.
Donald McCain's Son Of Flicka, meanwhile, had taken over at the head of affairs and a good jump at the last appeared to have sealed it, but Sir Des Champs made relentless progress and eventually got up to win by half a length.
First Point was third, with Indian Daudaie fourth.
Shalone came down on the run into the home straight on the flat, but Charlie Huxley and the horse returned to their feet.
The winning trainer said: "He looked beaten at the top of the hill but he's probably been watching Ruby (Walsh) all week and he didn't panic. Emmet gets horses jumping well and he didn't panic, even though they were a long way in front of him.
"It's been a great week."
The winning rider said: "He was never really travelling - he's only had two runs over hurdles - and I was just trying to keep him together down the back. He lost his balance coming down the hill and then something fell in front of me.
"I was just trying to keep him balanced and thankfully he was good enough. I think he must have made 25 lengths up coming down the hill and then he took a blow before the last but he picked up again."
The Irish contingent had already raised the bar twice earlier in the day, first when Final Approach took the Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdleand then when Zemsky came home at a price of 33/1 in the Christie's Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup.
The latter beat last year’s winner Baby Run after the 3-1 joint-favourite in the hands of 16-year-old Willie Twiston-Davies fell at the second-last, having had the field at full stretch. Derek O’Connor took advantage on the Ian Ferguson-trained winner, coming home by 17 lengths from 100-1 shot Mid Div And Creep to give O’Connor his second winner of the meeting.
Oscar Delta (25-1) was third and the other joint-favourite, On the Fringe, fourth.
Ruby Walsh, on board Final Approach, pipped Tony McCoy and Get me out of Hereat the post in a thrilling finish that bettered the previous record, set in 2006, and foiled a massive gamble on Jonjo O'Neill's charge.
Last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle runner-up was backed from a morning price of around 16-1 into 7-1 as McCoy looked to add to his Thursday double.
Walsh was right at the rear of the field at the second-last flight, and was still way behind at the last aboard Willie Mullins’ charge. It was not until halfway up the run-in that McCoy began to get really worried on Jonjo O’Neill’s seven-year-old as Walsh flew at the finish to get up by a nose following a lengthy photo-finish.
There was a blanket for the minor honours, with the Philip Hobbs pair of Nearby and Cockney Trucker a respective third and fourth.
Walsh said: “I didn’t think we were going to get anywhere near as close after the first. I don’t know how we stood up. He stood so far off it and hit between the top bar and middle bar and smashed the hurdle wide open.
“He has done well to get back into it and he was good and gutsy from the back of the last. AP (McCoy) thought I’d got it, but I wasn’t so sure — it was incredibly close. “I thought maybe I had got there on the nod. You win some, you lose some.”
Mullins added: “I thought we were beaten, even after watching the re-run. When the lads pulled up Tony looked happy but Ruby looked grumpy so I thought we were definitely beaten.
“The horse is improving all the time. He came from Kevin Prendergast and was a tough handicapper, which was they key to winning here and in the MCR Hurdle (at Leopardstown). I don’t think he’ll be running against Hurricane Fly in the Champion so we might have a look a couple of handicaps on the Flat in the autumn. He’s very professional.”
In the first race of the day, Zarkandargave champion trainer Paul Nicholls a second success in the JCB Triumph Hurdlewhen landing an emphatic triumph.
Daryl Jacob brought the French-bred half-brother to the brilliant Zarkava with a devastating burst to lead on the long run to the final flight.
The 13-2 shot had far too many guns for the opposition as he bounded two and a quarter lengths clear of Irish filly Unaccompanied, with Grandouet a further two and three-quarter lengths away in third.
Dermot Weld has grand designs for runner-up Unaccompanied after her brave effort in defeat. He said: “She ran a super race. She stays well and I suppose the winner didn’t do us a lot of favours coming to the last.
“I think she’s a mare you’re going to hear a lot more of and we will probably run in the Salsabil Stakes at Navan in a few weeks’ time. “After that she’ll go for the Grade One novice hurdle at Punchestown.”
Bobs Worthand Mossley gave Nicky Henderson a notable one-two in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdleat Cheltenham for his first winner of the meeting.
Barry Geraghty, who bought the horse at the Doncaster Sales and sold him to the trainer, was on the well-backed 15-8 favourite and steered Bobs Worth to a hard-fought win over his stablemate.
No Secrets and Radetsky March cut out the running but the pack was waiting to pounce and it was Bobs Worth who had the most ammunition.
He was all out to hold Mossley (12-1) by two and a quarter lengths, with Court In Motion another six lengths away in third and Champion Court fourth.
The pain of Cue Card's defeat in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle will be a distant memory for Colin Tizzard as Oiseau De Nuitstormed up the hill to win the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase, the final race of the 2011.
Nicky Henderson had made no secret of the fact he wanted to win the race named in honour of his father and his Tanks For That and Anquetta led the field into the straight, but appeared to burn each other out.
Tizzard’s nine-year-old, confidently ridden by 7lb claimer Steven Clements, appeared on the scene at the second-last and looked full of running.
The 40-1 shot bounded clear of Askthemaster (50-1), who travelled extremely well throughout, to win by three and a quarter lengths.
Leo’s Lucky Star was third, with De Boitron fourth.
1.30 JCB Triumph Hurdle
1 Zarkandar (D Jacob) 13-2
2 Unaccompanied (P Townend) 11-2
3 Grandouet (B J Geraghty) 13-2
4 Sam Winner (R Walsh) 4-1 Fav
2.05 Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle
1 Final Approach (R Walsh) 10-1
2 Get Me Out Of Here (A P McCoy) 7-1
3 Nearby (C J Davies) 66-1
4 Cockney Trucker (R Johnson) 33-1
26 ran
Also: 6-1 Fav Alarazi
2.40 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
1 Bobs Worth (B J Geraghty) 15-8 Fav
2 Mossley (A P McCoy) 12-1
3 Court In Motion (Jack Doyle) 9-1
18 ran
Also: 16-1 Champion Court 4th
3.20 totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup
1 Long Run (Mr S Waley-Cohen) 7-2 Fav
2 Denman (S Thomas) 8-1
3 Kauto Star (R Walsh) 5-1
13 ran
Also: 25-1 What A Friend 4th
4.00 Christie's Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup
1 Zemsky (Mr Derek O’Connor) 33-1
2 Mid Div And Creep (Miss G Andrews) 100-1
3 Oscar Delta (Mr D Murphy) 25-1
24 ran
Also: 3-1 Jt Fav Baby Run, On The Fringe 4th
4.40 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle
1 Sir Des Champs (Emmet Mullins) 9-2 Fav
2 Son Of Flicka (Henry Brooke) 28-1
3 First Point (David Bass) 20-1
4 Indian Daudaie (James Cowley) 25-1
23 ran
5.15 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase Challenge Cup
1 Oiseau de Nuit (S Clements) 40-1
2 Askthemaster (P T Enright) 50-1
3 Leo’s Lucky Star (Danny Cook) 20-1
4 De Boitron (G Lee) 8-1
23 ran
Also: 4-1 Fav I'msingingtheblues