There were certainly no post-holiday blues for Willie Mullins after Euro Leader's thrilling defeat of the favourite Monterey Bay in yesterday's Guinness Kerry National.
The former champion trainer only arrived back in Ireland yesterday morning from a two-week break in Africa and drove straight from Dublin airport to Listowel. As welcome-home's go, Euro Leader's display was hard to beat.
Under a patient ride from Ruby Walsh, the 11 to 2 second favourite defied top weight to beat his market rival by a neck in a dynamic finish to the €150,000 festival feature.
The last winner under 12st was Dorans Pride in 1997 and Euro Leader's performance was all the more commendable considering he made a mistake six out and another at the last when under heavy pressure.
Any doubts about him lasting out the three-mile trip could have been exposed on the run in but with the benefit of the rail Euro Leader proved just too good.
"I thought that kind of weight would be just too much and to win after those two mistakes makes it a super performance," said Mullins. "He got 13lb for winning at Tralee and over three miles I wasn't sure. But he stayed well and that opens up a lot of options. We will look at the Hennessy at Newbury."
Showery Listowel was certainly a bit different to Kenya and Zanzibar and Mullins was keen to pass on credit to the home team "Tracey (Gilmour) James Nash and Ruby have kept the show on the road, and they've done quite well!" he grinned.
Walsh was winning back to back Kerry Nationals and said: "It was some performance under 12st and to give that sort of weight to the second was some run. He got under the last a bit but kept going."
Cashmans saw enough to make Euro Leader a 25 to 1 shot for the Aintree National.
One of Euro Leader's owners, Tom Gilligan from Roscommon, only waited half an hour to get back into the winners enclosure as he also has a share in Hardwick who provided the former top jockey Adrian Maguire with a second training success on the racecourse.
Maguire had 14 point-to-point winners last season but Celestial Wave's Limerick bumper win was his only success on the racecourse. Hardwick wasted no time adding to that, however, with a stylish victory under Colman Sweeney in the maiden hurdle.
"When I was riding I never got nervous. It didn't matter if it was a selling hurdle or the Gold Cup. But watching them go out is terrible. You've no control!" Maguire smiled.
Makishma, owned by Margaret Heffernan, and one of just six horses trained by her husband Andrew, emerged best in the auction maiden under jockey Colm O'Donoghue.
Afterwards the stewards looked at the early stages of the race where the winner was tightened for room by Pat Smullen's mount Max Almighty.
Smullen and O'Donoghue had been involved in Tuesday's controversial incident which resulted in Smullen getting a 10-day ban. However, the stewards took no action yesterday, instead deciding to give Smullen "the benefit of the doubt."
Smullen had earlier lost out on the opening favourite Dream To Dress who couldn't peg back the Aidan O'Brien-trained winner De Laurentis inside the final furlong. It was a winning return to the track for Kieren Fallon who hadn't ridden at Listowel since his apprentice days 20 years ago.
Fit The Cove had the Group Three Concorde Stakes as a target after carrying 9st 11lb to victory in the seven furlong handicap while Veedon Fleece was yet another all-the-way winner for the James Bowe team in the bumper.
Betting statistics were up for the third day running at the festival with an almost €300,000 increase on last year's bookmaker turnover resulting in an overall figure of €1,820,150. The biggest betting race was the Kerry National at just under €300,000. The Tote was also up, reaching €499,780 compared to last year's figure of€466,300 last year.
