On an evening when Barry Geraghty completed a superb treble in the opening three races, it was Conor O’Dwyer who earned the plaudits when guiding the Jessica Harrington trained Bullock Harbour to a convincing victory in the ‘Legends’ race, the Foleys Antiques Supple Arkle Statue Maiden.

ALL the security and all the worry and the only one who reared up on the queen was a horse.

It’s funny how things have worked out with the delay of a week’s racing due to the heavy rain.

Irish jockey Jamie Kyne, a rising young star in the racing world, was one of two apprentices who died in an arson attack at a block of flats today. his family said tonight.

COMMANCHE COURT, who won the Irish Grand National in 2000 for Ted Walsh, was put down yesterday at the age of 16.

THE talking has finally finished and now it is time for action.

ARE you, like me, totally confused when it comes to the Grade 1 Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Sunday.

TWO years ago Irish steeplechasing was on a massive high, after War Of Attrition, Hedgehunter and Forget The Past had filled the first three places in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Kempton Park will stage a unique race that will bring together some of the greatest National Hunt jockeys of all time on October 21.

Suggestions Irish horseracing would benefit by consolidating the number of tracks around the country has caused heated debate within the sport. Declan Colley canvassed a number of racing experts.

British runners gave the Irish a taste of their own medicine at Punchestown today as Ferdy Murphy's Carlys Quest sprung a 25-1 shock in the Ballymore Properties Champion Stayers Hurdle.

DERMOT WELD, who introduced Refuse To Bend to racing at Gowran Park three years ago, produced another potentially high class colt at the Kilkenny track yesterday when Medicinal made an impressive debut.

Look back through the years at the Irish names which have graced National Hunt’s Pantheon of greats and you’ll find no shortage of contenders.

TOP jockey Ruby Walsh heads a cast of leading racing personalities for the Cashmans Bookmakers/Inch Point-To-Point Cheltenham Preview at the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork tomorrow night, starting at 8pm.

RICHARD JOHNSON surpassed the total of John Francome to become the fourth winning-most jumps jockey of all time in Britain when scoring a double at Huntingdon yesterday.

Richard Johnson surpassed the total of John Francome to become the fourth winning-most jumps jockey of all time in Britain when scoring a double at Huntingdon today.

Smurfit Champion Hurdle favourite Rhinestone Cowboy faces a stiff test when he lines up against the likes of Solerina and Back In Front at Leopardstown tomorrow.

Monty’s Pass, who landed the biggest Martell Cognac Grand National gamble in the history of the great race last season, will have a similar campaign as he builds up to another tilt at the Aintree showpiece.

JIMMY MANGAN opened his doors at Conna to the press yesterday and Monty's Pass, the 2003 Martell Grand National winner, strutted his stuff in front of the large crowd which had come to see him and his trainer.

EDWARD O’GRADY’S Pizarro made a satisfactory debut over fences with a comfortable defeat of Atlantic Rhapsody in the Irish Stallion Farms’ Beginners Chase at Clonmel yesterday.

BARRY GERAGHTY is set to team up with Back In Front in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown on Sunday week.

CHELTENHAM Festival heroine, Like-A-Butterfly, is out for the season.

CHELTENHAM Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle winning jockey, Norman Williamson, has been forced to retire on medical advice.

Norman Williamson has been stood down until Monday after taking a heavy fall at Listowel yesterday.

LUCKY STORY produced a performance of remarkable tenacity to take the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster .

KICKHAM, owned by J.P. McManus , seventh in the Galway Guinness Hurdle, got back to winning form at Tipperary yesterday with a hard earned win in the Frank Hogan Limerick Mercedes Benz Novice Hurdle.

THE biggest surprise about yesterday’s featured Kevin McManus Bookmaker Novice ’Chase at Cork wasn’t that Golden Row scored in a canter, but rather the fact the layers offered him at 4-7.

SEAN QUINLAN (19) from Littleton, Co Tipperary, enjoyed a day he will never forget at Tramore yesterday.

PAT VERLING struck a blow for the smaller man when training and riding Sabadilla to a tremendous success in yesterday’s Guinness Galway Hurdle at Ballybrit, before an attendance of 37,394.

Globetrotting gelding Sabadilla landed a surprise win in the €170,000 Guinness Handicap Hurdle at the Galway Festival this afternoon.

KICKHAM warmed up for a possible tilt at the Galway Hurdle when justifying odds of 2-7 in the Niall Brosnan and Co Solicitors’ Novice Hurdle at Killarney yesterday.

AUSTIN LEAHY continued his recent good run when Bluebell Line charged home to grab front-running Kerry Way in the Knockmealdown Handicap at Clonmel last night.

THE courageous Quazar turned-over Back In Front at the end of a thrilling Emo Oil Champion Hurdle before a crowd of 15,600 at Punchestown yesterday.

Quazar caused an upset at Punchestown today when flooring odds-on favourite Back In Front in the Emo Oil Champion Hurdle.

EDWARD O’Grady’s Back In Front has to be fancied to complete a spectacular five-timer in the EMO Oil Champion Hurdle at Punchestown this afternoon.

IT looked as if it was going to be a long road back for odds-on punters at Punchestown this week, following Moscow Flyer’s mishap at the second last in yesterday’s BMW Chase.

NOEL MEADE’S Dashing Home got odds-on punters off to the ideal start when landing the Blanchardstown Renault Hurdle at Fairyhouse yesterday.

Ruby Walsh took Aintree by storm with a sparkling 681-1 treble in the first three races on Martell Cognac Grand National day with one trainer hailing the jockey as the “best thing to come out of Ireland since Guinness”.

Jockey Norman Williamson, due to ride Killusty in today's Grand National, has been ruled out because of injury.

ADAMANT APPROACH is in line to take on Beef Or Salmon in the Power Gold Cup at Fairyhouse, following his easy success in the FBD Brokers’ Novice Chase at Cork yesterday.

EDWARD O’GRADY and Norman Williamson continued their tremendous run when Windsor Boy justified hefty market support with a smooth success in the Comeragh Maiden Hurdle at Clonmel yesterday.

PRINCESS SYMPHONY is a possible for Aintree after an impressive win in the Grade 3 Dawn Run E.B.F Mares Novice Chase at sundrenched Limerick yesterday

The Cheltenham Gold Cup remains the premier event in the steeplechasing calendar, and Dessie Hughes certainly knows what it takes to win the Blue-Riband event of the festival, having piloted the Mick O’Toole-trained Davy Lad to victory in the 1977 race.