The recent dismissal of Davy Russell as first jockey to Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud poses a question or two.

Well, those who were of the opinion that most of the top horses in the country were housed in the one place, at Willie Mullins’, discovered it wasn’t quite as simple as that over the four days of the Leopardstown Christmas festival Mullins had a reasonably good meeting, winning six of the 28 races, but his dominance was nowhere near as pronounced as some might have anticipated.

The bumper at Navan on December 15, won by Willie Mullins’ Royal Caviar, was rather interesting.

It has not been a particularly good few days for National Hunt racing in this country.

A press-room colleague texted last weekend to say that Willie Mullins, if his horses remain fit and healthy, will win 15 races at the Cheltenham festival.

I thought some of the reaction to Annie Power’s success at Ascot last Saturday was a trifle amusing.

Having had a half-decent wager on Hurricane Fly in last year’s Champion Hurdle, I resolved immediately after the contest never to back him to win the race again.

Danny Mullins must have felt like someone who had just been let out of jail after partnering The Tullow Tank to success in a maiden hurdle at Naas last Saturday.

There are three admirable horses a lot of punters will not want to touch with a forty foot pole the next time they appear, namely Sizing Europe, First Lieutenant and Long Run.

There was an extraordinary reaction from the public to yesterday’s meeting at Limerick, held to boost the Emergency Jockeys’ Fund and the stricken John Thomas McNamara and Jonjo Bright.