Two Irish winners on the second day, including the first five in the Coral Cup, but Irish punters were again left licking their wounds yesterday.
Neither Hill Society nor Papillon were seriously fancied to challenge for the featured Queen Mother Champion Chase won by Call Equiname under a truly brilliant ride from Mick Fitzgerald.
But Alexander Banquet was a well-backed second favourite to the English hotpot Barton in the SunAlliance Hurdle and mystified trainer Willie Mullins with a lifeless display, eventually winding up seventh.
"He didn't fire at all and was in trouble a long way out," said a dejected Mullins.
In contrast, Irish jockey Lorcan Wyer was on cloud nine after guiding Barton to an ultra-impressive success, and exclaimed: "You know that feeling Mick Fitzgerald had, going on about the feeling he had after winning the Grand National? Well I'm on Viagra - a great feeling!"
Fitzgerald was careful not to try to counter that after the Queen Mother, but he lived up to his "head waiter" nickname with a perfectly timed challenge on Call Equiname, trained by his brother-in-law Paul Nicholls, to beat the favourite Edredon Bleu by over a length.
"I always wanted Mick to ride him because he suits the horse's style," said Nicholls, who has brought the grey back from persistent leg problems. "He needs holding up and he wasn't doing a lot in front."
Co Limerick trainer Michael Hourigan hit back, however, with Deejaydee, who received another superb ride from Tony Martin to just get up ahead of Riot Leader in the four mile National Hunt Chase.
Fourth in this race last year and unraced over fences since, Deejaydee came from well off the pace, but a slow jump at the last meant Martin had to pull out all the stops to get the 13 to 2 chance up.
"He wouldn't be the bravest round here but I was pleased when he came back on the bridle going to the last. I was always happy I'd get there," said Martin.
Hourigan added: "He has plenty of gears, but the last jump meant he had to work for it."
Remarkably, the first five home in the Coral Cup were Irish-trained, but the best backed of them, the 13 to 2 favourite Archive Footage, could finish only 25th. Instead it was Khayrawani who just held off the 33 to 1 Miltonfield, with Tuesday's winner Generosa just not able to defy her penalty.
Khayrawani was a first festival winner for trainer Christy Roche and 18-year-old rider Fran Berry, who said the reception for the crowd was "everything I expected and more. On the run in I was just praying for the post to come but it kept getting further and further away."
Berry later received a six-day whip ban from the stewards, while Generosa's jockey Tommy Treacy got two days, also for the whip.
Tony McCoy was also banned for four days for using his whip when clearly winning and in an incorrect place on the stifle on 16-length scorer Majadou in the Mildmay of Flete Challenge Cup.
The dejected jockey refused to comment on his latest run-in with officialdom.
The Irish also went for a coup in the Weatherbys Bumper, backing Biliverdin down to 11 to 4 favourite, but he faded to 16th behind the 50 to 1 shocker Monsignor.
