A day of fairytales at Fairyhouse

It was, as Sandra Hughes put it, a day for the girls. The ‘McCoy factor’ and glorious sunshine brought 16,621 to Fairyhouse in the hope of an Irish Grand National fairytale.

The ‘I was there moment’ that unfolded was not the one expected but it was no less captivating for that.

AP McCoy’s penultimate day riding in Ireland was a day that brought two great Irish racing dynasties — the Hughes’ and the Walshs — together for an emotional triumph. Sometimes even the great McCoy, whose mount Cantlow finished sixth, has to play second fiddle.