Bookmakers were waving the white flag with one day of the Cheltenham Festival still to go after being given another pasting by punters.

“We’ll leave Kerry happy now,” said in-form trainer Willie McCreery, following the victory of Fact Or Folklore in the featured Guinness Premier Handicap on day four of the Listowel Festival.

Pique Sous has been ruled out of the Ascot Gold Cup due to a setback.

Flemenstar will make his long-awaited return in Saturday’s Webster Cup at Navan.

There was, unfortunately, no fairytale ending for the soon-to-retire AP McCoy in the last race of this year’s Cheltenham Festival — one renamed in his honour for the occasion.

Bookmakers are fearing a final day plunge on Tony McCoy’s last Cheltenham Festival rides after the retiring champion got off the mark on day three of the meeting.

Midday: We’re at the halfway stage, Enda McEvoy is €126.88 up and beginning to twitch a little.

Festival Diary

Ruby Walsh has promised that his head will rule his heart when it comes to making a decision on whether to ride Hurricane Fly or Faugheen in the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham next Tuesday.

Tony McCoy believes Carlingford Lough “has a live chance” when the partnership takes aim at the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 13.

A little over 24 hours after Tony McCoy stunned the racing world in announcing he would retire at the end of the season, the irrepressible jockey roared to a fairytale success in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown.

AP McCoy’s announcement that he would be retiring at the end of the season didn’t come as a surprise to me because we are good friends.

It was Donnacha’s day at Dundalk yesterday as Aidan O’Brien’s younger son registered his first success in the saddle when producing odds-on favourite Quartz with a well-timed late challenge to foil Duchess Andorra by a half-length in the Dundalk Stadium Apprentice Maiden.

Already, the final day of Cheltenham 2014 has arrived and after three days of the usual high class racing and excitement we’re looking forward to more of the same on Gold Cup day.

Already, the final day of Cheltenham 2014 has arrived and after three days of the usual high class racing and excitement we’re looking forward to more of the same on Gold Cup day.

THE Diary is used to screaming girls as he walks through the streets (ahem), but even this correspondent knew something was up as a posse of women shrieked uncontrollably as he walked past the Arkle bar.

Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Campbell Gillies has died following an accident on holiday in Greece.

Cheltenham Festival winning-jockey Campbell Gillies has reportedly died following an accident on holiday in Corfu.

A staggering £35,000 (€41,624) a second will be gambled in Cheltenham this week as tens of thousands of Irish punters make the annual racing pilgrimage across the Irish Sea.

Donald McCain has ruled out the possibility of impressive Ascot winner Super Duty making a trip to next month’s Cheltenham Festival.

A jockey named Sam was widely predicted to steal the headlines in the Paddy Power Gold Cup today but it was Twiston-Davies, rather than Waley-Cohen, who stepped up to the mark.

Nicky Henderson added to the embarrassment of riches in his hurdling team as Soldatino provided him with a fifth success in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Soldatino belied his inexperience to deny Barizan a gutsy front-running success by bridging a Grand Canyon-size gap in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham.

RUBY WALSH came to the rescue of the punters with a much-needed victory on Big Buck’s, the first banker, and only the third favourite, to win at Cheltenham.

Denman’s new jockey Tony McCoy cannot wait to take on Kauto Star in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 19.

Bookmakers are anticipating a record-breaking afternoon of betting on Friday with the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup heading an incredible nine-race card.

It is being touted as the greatest Gold Cup match-up since Arkle took on Mill House in 1964, but this year’s duel between Kauto Star and Denman has a very personal context for legendary gambler Harry Findlay. Declan Colley reports.

RUBY WALSH has confirmed he will ride Kauto Star in next month’s totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Ruby Walsh has confirmed he will ride Kauto Star in next month’s totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.

KICKING KING may have only finished second behind Nickname in yesterday’s Normans Grove Chase at Gowran Park, but this was a spectacular comeback.

ROD MILLMAN feels an in-form Yeats will again prove a tough nut for his star stayer Sergeant Cecil to crack this term.

COLM MURPHY is closely monitoring the weather as he looks to complete Brave Inca’s preparations for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle.

Tom Taaffe believes Cane Brake is capable of taking a hand at the finish of the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.

IN Compliance looks almost certain to miss the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup as trainer Michael O’Brien is unhappy with the horse’s condition.

Alan Munro got Gold Cup day off to the best possible start with victory on Dutch Art at Royal Ascot.

IT is arguably the most expensive lunch in Dublin this week — €120 a head to dine with Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny.

BRITISH AIRWAYS boss Willie Walsh has made his war of attrition with fellow aviation titan Michael O’Leary of Ryanair pay off handsomely.

IT WASN’T a great day for the Paddies but the Micks did all right. Last summer, jockey Mick Fitzgerald broke his neck in the kind of accident that would lead lesser men to a desk job.

THAT was a rather thought-provoking article on Cheltenham by Alastair Down in the Racing Post on Tuesday.

General admission tickets for the fourth day of Royal Ascot, Gold Cup day, have sold out.

A massive crowd of 66,767 basked in glorious sunshine on the final afternoon of the new-look four-day Cheltenham Festival.

Henrietta Knight has put a stringent security plan in place which means Best Mate will receive 24-hour protection in the run-up to his bid to win a fourth Gold Cup on Friday week.

Cheltenham have unveiled a major name change and a boost in prize money for the Stayers’ Hurdle at next year’s Festival meeting.