The battle between Colin Keane and Pat Smullen, for the flat jockeys’ championship, didn’t half-light up that campaign but, you suspect, it will be nothing compared to what’s in store over the coming months, as Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott again go head-to-head for the National Hunt trainers’ title, writes Pat Keane.

Champion Hurdle runner-up Arctic Fire was the star performer on a Sunday of top-class racing at Fairyhouse, the Willie Mullins-trained and Ruby Walsh-ridden gelding landing his first Grade One, the Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, in tremendous style.