Fortune can rarely have fluctuated so outrageously as it did for trainer Michael Hourigan yesterday.
Just 20 minutes after watching his veteran stable star Dorans Pride being ignominiously pulled up in Kempton's King George, Hourigan tuned in from London to hear his doubtful stayer Inis Cara grind the opposition into the ground and pick up the £71,250 first prize in the Paddy Power Chase.
Considering Hourigan and his jockey son Paul had won the first at Kempton with a 20 to 1 shot and then had to endure the post-King George abandonment of the London track's fixture due to a security alert, the Co Limerick trainer could be forgiven a certain bemusement but when contacted by phone he seemed to be coping well.
"A good day and a bad day!" was his description as he left Kempton but he was happy that his confidence in Inis Cara had been justified.
"I thought he would win and I had no doubt about his stamina as he once won a three-mile hurdle. This was the plan from a long time back and we waited for it. Now we have to find a new plan," he said.
One result of Dorans Pride's fruitless trip was that Hourigan Jnr missed out on his most valuable ever success but the 19-year-old claimer Robbie McNally stepped brilliantly into the Inis Cara breach and finished up three lengths clear of the outsider Irish Light with Native Estates third.
"I wasn't to ride Inis Cara unless Dorans Pride went to England so I was praying he'd go," said Summerhill, Co Meath, born McNally who was riding his 27th winner. "Mr Hourigan said not to hit the front until the last and Inis Cara wasn't doing a stroke on the run in. He had his ears pricked the whole way."
Cries of "Up the Banner" kept Inis Cara's ears pricked in the winners enclosure as the mostly Clare-based winning syndicate celebrated their 11 to 1 winner.
The non-Clare exception in the six-member syndicate is Cdt. Larry Kiely from Tipperary, the former army show-jumping rider, whose best horse during his own riding career was the top international Puissance operator, also called Inis Cara.
"When we were looking for a name for the horse, Inis Cara suited me and Friend Of Ennis suited the other lads. Pat Quinn had the idea and Michael Hourigan provided the animal three years ago," said Kiely.
The fate of the market leaders was settled some way out as Lanturn made a terrible mistake at the very first fence, Micko's Dream faded quickly from the lead and Lord Dal finished a distressed, and never nearer, sixth.
The favourite See Just There didn't jump well and was eventually pulled up by Barry Geraghty who commented: "He hit two fences early and then nearly broke one of the ditches. After that we were always struggling."
Inis Cara secured the cash but nothing gave greater excitement than Youlneverwalkalone proving he is a horse with a real future by a brilliant defeat of Parkgate in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle.
Conor O'Dwyer barely had to move after the last but Youlneverwalkalone stretched clear off a slow pace and left owner JP McManus with a decision as to which Cheltenham novice event to aim his horse at. Paddy Power hedged their bets be giving Youlneverwalkalone 6 to 1 quotes for both the Supreme Novices and the SunAlliance.
"There's no point me having an opinion of the horse and him not showing what he can do so I find it hard to knock him after that. Conor is really wrapped up in him too," said Christy Roche.
O'Dwyer agreed and said: "He's a serious horse for the simple fact that he is so versatile. I thought he needed a trip but off a slow pace he has shown so many gears. Ground doesn't bother him and neither does the trip."
The McManus colours were also successful with Brigade Charge and Young American, who is now 25 to 1 for the Triumph Hurdle after landing the first, but Merry Gale harked wonderfully back to his younger days when he fought back after being headed by his stable-mate Ollimar to land the Dial-A-Bet Chase and complete a double for rider Paul Moloney.
There was a new course record of £435,376 on the Tote but the bookmaker figures were down £96,569 to a turnover of £1,018,576. Yesterday's attendance of 15,468 was over 2,000 down on 1998.
Nordance Prince outgunned seven rivals in the feature race at Wetherby yesterday to help his trainer, Venetia Williams, to her second big Christmas prize in successive seasons. The eight-year-old proved his adaptability as he stepped down in trip to seize the Scott Taylor Appeal Castleford Chase.
