Elliott still nipping away at Willie Mullins' heels after a fabulous four-timer

After the 10-2 scoreline at Cheltenham, the gulf in class between the teams trained by Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott appeared to be widening but the opening day of the Punchestown festival provided a timely reminder that the rivalry remains very much intact.

To score four times at any fixture is a fine feat, but to do so on Willie Mullins' home pitch, where the champion trainer rarely concedes any away goals at all in the big matches, is an even more remarkable achievement by Elliott, who has now reached 1,999 career winners.

"It's a great game and you never know what can happen in a year," said Elliott in the midst of a magical opening day. "This time last year I was lying on a beach in Portugal but I'm much happier to be here."