Mullins supremacy may have been helped not hindered by Gigginstown split

Even after days of dust-settling it is hard to do justice to the abundance of drama surrounding the Punchestown festival.

The build-up concentrated on the Mullins-Elliott championship showdown. On the first evening, struggling to make sense of the incomprehensible, many speculated how unfortunate it would be if the outcome of the Growise Champion Novice Chase – when Paul Townend swerved right on Al Boum Photo to incorrectly bypass the final fence – were to settle the destination of the title.

The following day Townend shrugged off the debacle to contribute a treble to a fabulous Mullins six-timer. Suddenly it was all over. Mullins changed the course of an entire season in a single afternoon. Now only the scale of dominance was at play, and it was formidable in the end.