IT all started with the question everyone asks. Every year.

Jane Mangan, at the helm on RTÉ Racing from Leopardstown on St Stephen’s Day, posed it to Ted Walsh. “Could this horse be great?”

“I’m not going to say anything is great ever again after Envoi Allen and Monkfish last year, but this horse could be,” was the answer pre-race about Ferny Hollow.

Watching the racing over the last week was a bit like playing bingo – what’s those numbers? 102, now 416, try 426, what’s that free RTV one? They are off on 422.

If catching most races was a constant time watch and channel switch, catching any interviews or analysis was even more difficult. Where’s Willie? He’s with Brian Gleeson on RTÉ 2 – no, he’s sidestepped Brian now and off to saddle another one. Now, he’s back on Racing TV with Gary. He likes the horse in the bumper – hold on – was that Sunday or Monday? Maybe it’s Tuesday?

Even with a welcome RTV freeview channel for the three Irish meetings, it was difficult to get much aftermath from Kempton and we still had split screens on St Stephen’s Day.

Annoying

And on Monday, why could those broadcasting powers not have got either Leopardstown or Chepstow to move their feature race five minutes earlier or later – it was made even more annoying by two false starts delaying Chepstow.

Chepstow have on-course ceremonies before the Welsh National but they only had seven runners in the previous race. Speed it up. Or Leopardstown, with it being the second last race, could have moved five minutes back to 3.00 when there was no other race on. The next race was the 3.10 at Wetherby.

Anyway, at Leopardstown, Ferny Hollow did the business. Ted gave an opinion on current preparation of novice chasers and schooling reports.

“They either jump or they don’t jump. Some of them are great leapers, some of them are stupid. Different people have different ideas and they pat themselves on the back when they get it right.

“Listening to Henrietta Knight yesterday, and you’d think she invented schooling. Load of baloney most of it. They jump or they don’t jump.”

The win of the immaculately jumping Iwilldoit on just his second run over fences in the three mile six and a half furlong Welsh Grand National might have given Ted’s argument a bit of a boost.

Caught out

From Limerick, Master McShee’s last stride win catches everyone out. While they all discuss Farouk D’alene, Jane notes the exchanges are betting against him and there shock in Fran Berry’s voice on Racing TV when he calls: “And Master McShee’s won it!” as the verdict comes.

On Tuesday, Hugh Cahill and Ruby are back on RTÉ with Jane and Andy Mc. Richard Pugh is alone, all alone, on top of the empty grandstand. Though it’s not the wave-washed strand he can see, it views over “Dalkey, Killiney and Foxrock, into Barry Connell’s back yard.”

Brian Gleeson is in the bookies ring and this does look like a wave-washed strand compared to a ‘normal’ Christmas betting ring.

The team take a brief look back at the King George, a pity it was not shown on the Sunday, and Danny Mullins’ big win on Tornado Flyer.

“I didn’t fancy him,” Ruby admitted. “He gave him a wonderful ride, it was a race run at a frantic gallop. But when you are riding to pick up the pieces, things can fall your way but he did things right and was so confident and cool on him.”

Jane still believes there’s a big pot in Asterion Forlonge – “when everything falls his way.” “Falls” being the notable word here!

Monday was a bit subdued. “No Chacun, no crowds, definitely a bit of the jam gone out of the doughnut,” for Andy Mc.

Debate

There were no superlatives for Envoi Allen this year but the win in the Grade 1 gives rise to a good bit of debate among the team. Rachael tells Katie Walsh he was good, “got the job done”, Jane Mangan was less impressed – “just lasted home from a beaten horse,” as was Andy Mc, and Hugh goes for the jugular – “Chacun would have wiped the floor with him.”

Ruby defends the de Bromhead star – “empty” is being unfair on the horse, he had every chance to back out of it but put his head down.”

“Maybe we are the victim of our own hype,” Jane adds. As sure as Christmas, we will be at that again – let’s just ‘gallop’ on ‘til Tuesday!

Ruby makes it a reverse Brian O’Driscoll comparison, the rugby star got better but Envoi was “dominant at a youngster but hasn’t progressed.”

There’s lots of progression to come from Mighty Potter after his ‘Future Champions’ win – Katie on Thousand Stars has to go a long way down the pull up track to join up with him and Jack Kennedy describes him as a “proper horse”. Thousand Stars does look like a ‘pony’ beside him.

On Tuesday, Galvin takes the honours in the big race though his win is greeted with a bit of puzzlement, and though Jane Mangan had noted he was the second highest rated horse in the race, but without a Grade 1 win.

Ted is back and summarises. “The Gold Cup is wide open now, everything can throw it’s hat at it. When I was growing up I thought you’d need an Arkle to win it, now all you need is a horse sparking on the day that can get three and a quarter miles.

“I still think A Plus Tard will be hard to beat on the day. Al Boum Photo wouldn’t be out of it.”

Brian Gleeson was in the right place to toss the microphone to Gordon Elliott after Galvin’s Savills Chase win, though the trainer looks as if he’d more prefer to take a moment and celebrate with those close to him as the horse returns.

Critical

Barry Geraghty later reviews the Savills and A Plus Tard’s run and seems a bit critical of the ride by Rachael – “not in the ideal position”, “you can be overconfident on a short-priced favourite like this and you don’t make the crucial decisions that you need to make and get it slightly wrong.”

Though if you stop the action coming to the last and it doesn’t look like anything was wrong to me.

Ted puts that perspective on it too. “We’re looking back at this in hindsight, what you should and shouldn’t do, basically A Plus Tard is not as good as he looked last year.

“She probably got a bit of hassle over the horse that ran in the King George but…that wasn’t the horse that ran in the Gold Cup. If you put Frankie Dettori, Ruby Walsh, Barry Geraghty or Tony McCoy on him, he wouldn’t have won.

“Sometimes the ball bounces right for you, sometimes it doesn’t. I hope it doesn’t get into her head that she’s done anything wrong,” he adds.

And then we have the hype again after Galopin Des Champs wins his beginners’ chase and Paul Townend reports: “He’s just wants to please, he’s a dream to ride.”

Ted muses: “I haven’t seen a chaser with that enthusiasm and engine for a long time, if Paul Nicholls is watching he’ll be looking for an alternative for Bravemansgame.

“If this fellow is not the real deal, I should probably shut up forever.”

Ted, what were you saying only two days ago?

We’re back where we started. Ah no, but happy days. It’s not the hope that kills you, it’s these hopes keeps us going. There’s more opinions and reputations to be changed before we get to March.