Grimes and Feathered Leader, two horses that in the past might have been kindly called frustrating, turned themselves into heroes yesterday when landing the two Grade 1 prizes.
Feathered Leader, an Irish Grand National runner up last year and a winner already this season, has always been regarded as talented if inclined to flatter but Grimes's Shell Champion Hurdle victory was very much a team one.
Disappointing over fences, Grimes had won the big juvenile hurdle here three years ago. He hasn't always found a lot when ridden for pace but from the front Charlie Swan set a blinding tempo that had the rest of the field, including the favourite Stage Affair, hard at work some way from home.
Decoupage, Nomadic and Mantles Prince also persevered with their challenges to the straight but this seemed a different Grimes from the one we've witnessed for most of the time since his last big festival triumph and he galloped to the line like a trojan.
"Christy (Roche) told me he always works well from the front and I thought he seemed just a little one paced when I rode him at Liverpool," said Swan, but trainer Roche gave all the credit to owner JP McManus.
"When Istabraq was out of the race, JP said `let's go for this with Grimes'."
With Conor O'Dwyer injured, Norman Williamson came in for the ride on Feathered Leader in the David Austin Chase and the Cork-born rider was patience personified on Arthur Moore's horse.
Nevertheless, once Feathered Leader had cruised past the pace setting Valley Erne on the run to the last he began to tie up and had to be ridden out to beat the McManus owned favourite Shannon Gale.
The O'Connor family who own Feathered Leader only had to wait 30 minutes for another success courtesy of the Gary Hutchinson ridden Testify who sprang a 33 to 1 shock, paying almost 270 to 1 on the Tote, in the three-mile handicap hurdle.
The Co Clare jackpot punter Carmel O'Brien, who won over £43,000 in Tuesday's jackpot and was waiting until yesterday to see if she would also collect a £40,000 BMW, was pipped at the post.
Dublin punter Eamonn Fahey won yesterday's jackpot on his own, collecting £41,019 in the process, but as a solo jackpot winner joined Carmel O'Brien in a draw for the car.
The Tote manager John White spun a drum with two envelopes inside and the Punchestown chair- man James Osborne drew out Fahey's name.
Fahey's was the sole ticket riding on Testify in the last leg of the jackpot and although the horse paid an SP of 33 to 1, it paid almost 270 to 1 on the Tote.
