A big win for the preview circuit as Impaire Et Passe lives up to his reputation

Irish euphoria, British bafflement. There's four words that tell a large part of the story of day two at this festival. In the depths of winter, you sometimes hear variations on the theme of 'Cheltenham isn't the be-all and end-all' but a different reality can be read on the faces of those who came here with high hopes and were disappointed.

Perhaps the most surprising outcome of the week was that Hermes Allen was sent off favourite for the Ballymore. While there's no doubt he's a fine animal with excellent form, he was up against the biggest talking horse at this festival in Impaire Et Passe, whose name had come up again and again during preview nights in Ireland as various well-connected people expressed a much greater faith than his racecourse achievements would inspire.

A strong theme of the early betting manoeuvres was support for various Willie Mullins runners, but Impaire Et Passe's fanciers must all have got on weeks ago. He ended up at 5-2 while Hermes Allen shortened past him to 9-4.