IT WASN'T the Festival, but Cheltenham's attempt to add a Gaelic theme to its November meeting produced the perfect results with two wins for the Irish on the opening day of the Murphy's Irish Craic yesterday.

Enticed to the fixture, which features today's Murphy's Gold Cup, with a £750 travel allowance for every runner in a Whitbread company sponsored race, the Irish responded with victories from Dancing Vision and Just Little.

A fine recovery from amateur John McNamara at the third last helped Dancing Vision capture the Coln Valley Fish And Game Company Handicap Chase, a first runner at the track for Limerick namesake Eric McNamara, no relation.

But the easiest win of the day fell to the diminutive Just Little who coasted to a seven length victory over Mim-Lou-And in the Murphy's In A Bottle Hurdle.

The Aidan O'Brien trained filly, won under a tight rein and will line up again today in the Murphy's Draughtflow Hurdle, for which she has earned a 6 lb penally.

While the Irish celebrated, Martin Pipe had a day to forget as Dancing, who had run out at Newbury on Wednesday but was nevertheless expected to pose the greatest threat to Just Little, refused to race.

Earlier, stablemate Courbaril, beaten once in six starts, slid to a second defeat when slipping over three out in the Scudamore Clothing Novices' Hurdle, having established what appeared an unassailable lead.

Hunting Lore made the most of the good fortune to sweep past the, leg weary leader Supermodel after the last to score by a length and a quarter under Mick Fitzgerald.