RACING: The ex-champion jump jockey, Charlie Swan, might be giving the current champion Flat jockey, Pat Smullen, a call after making a little bit of history at Fairyhouse yesterday.
Swan trained Anxious Moments to win the €100,000 Powers Handicap Hurdle but rode Atlantic Rhapsody in the race to finish third.
It was the first time a jockey has trained the winner while riding in the same race for another trainer and is a result of Smullen's marriage last year to Frances Crowley.
The old rule would have barred Smullen from riding any other horse in a race except Crowley's and he approached the Turf Club last year regarding his position.
A new rule came into play only last month and it put Swan in the unusual position of walking from the number three spot to the number one to congratulate David Casey and accept his own congratulations from owner JP McManus.
Casey said: "I travelled super throughout and I was happy to go on and hope Charlie wouldn't get to me!" Swan had been hoping the weights would rise but Ansar's presence meant he couldn't do the weight so he was snapped up for the Lincolnshire winner Atlantic Rhapsody.
He weaved his way through to challenge in the straight but it was the 20 to 1 Just Our Job that got closest of all to the winner.
"Anxious Moments won't go to Punchestown because he needs a good break between races. The Galway Hurdle is an option for him," Swan said.
Local trainer Ger Lyons had the biggest success of his career when Big-And-Bold overcame a less than perfect preparation to land the Powers Gold Cup.
"He had a very bad stone bruise on his off-hind and was lame behind. I very nearly pulled him out. Ruby (Walsh) even said he blew up at the second last so he is obviously very good.
"I didn't want him to go to Cheltenham. This is my Cheltenham. I've never had a horse like him," said Lyons who trains Big-And-Bold for his mother-in-law Alix Stevenson.
The winner will go next for the Future Champions Chase at Ayr in 18 days time.
Dessie Hughes made up for missing out on Monday's National when saddling the first two home in the Goffs Land Rover Bumper, Hardy Eustace beating Central House by two lengths.
"We've been unlucky in this in previous years but we can't do much better than that!" smiled Hughes who promptly doubled up in the last bumper with Admiral Brown.
Willie Mullins confirmed that Barry Geraghty will ride Florida Pearl in tomorrow's Martell Cup at Aintree and he warmed up with Livingstonebramble's success in the opener yesterday.
It was the first winner in Ireland for the syndicate, the Winning Line.
Joe Blake made up for a fourth at Cheltenham with a hard-fought defeat of last year's winner Polaris Flame in the Joseph O'Reilly Hunters Chase.
One member of yesterday's 8,633 attendance went home very happy having scooped the Jackpot pool of €92,480.
