Christy Roche's retirement, added to the appearance of Frankie Dettori on Monday, means the focus at Tralee so far has been on jockeys, but Arthur Moore's attention was all on Owen Bart after the bottom-weight was an impressive winner of the Deasys Handicap Hurdle.
It was a finish of 6 to 1 shots as only Owen Bart, under a typically patient ride from Conor O'Dwyer, could overhaul Dante's Battle in the straight with Mantles Prince only another length back in third. The 3 to 1 favourite, Patriot Games was struggling from well before the straight and faded to fifth.
"He's such a game little horse who always does his best," Moore said after Owen Bart had garnered a third victory and brought his earnings to over £20,000. "We'll probably go to Listowel with him now," he added.
There was no such late late show from the favourite in the ladies race after Rite Of Spring veered dramatically left when the tapes went up, was slowly away and lost any realistic chance of winning.
Rite Of Spring eventually finished only ninth, and with her missing the race looked set up for Francis Bay and Shona McDonogh when they went clear on the turn in. However Francis Bay surprisingly faded and Rite Of Spring's stable-mate Mazurka swept through to give Sinead O'Keeffe her first ever winner.
Carrick-On-Suir trainer Pat Flynn is usually a formidable festival force and he kicked into action at Tralee with a double in the last two races.
Dromhall Lady engaged in a prolonged duel with the favourite Husun in the mile handicap and when Husun, a six-furlong winner on Saturday, began to feel the pinch, Danny Grant punched Dromhall Lady clear by a neck.
Glen Norris made virtually all on Flynn's Maid In Blue to win the bumper and score a first-ever success in the saddle. Norris has been with Flynn for 15 months and rides out six mornings a week. A nice twist to the success was that Maid In Blue was led in by Danny Grant, but a less pleasant post-race affair was the three-day ban handed out to Alan Fleming for careless riding on the fifth, Geneva Steele.
Husun's trainer, Jim Bolger had better luck in the opener when he introduced a potentially smart newcomer in Grandiose Idea. This daughter of Sea Hero repelled the persistent challenge of another debutante, Timote, by half a length, with Twizzle third.
"There should be another day in her," grinned Bolger before adding: "She is still a bit raw and will come on for that. She's not the best of my fillies at the moment but could turn out to be. She's in the Moyglare."
Global Diamond looked to have the Beginners Chase in safe keeping but her fall at the last handed victory to Tom Cooper's 25 to 1 shot Let Us Pray.
