Small yards steal the headlines in handicaps despite the might of Willie Mullins

Let's hear it for the democratising influence of big-time handicap chases, still helping low-profile trainers to get their moment in the limelight despite all that's happened to strengthen the very biggest operations.

All but one of the races at Leopardstown on Tuesday fell to the mighty Willie Mullins but it was the most valuable that defied him, the Paddy Power Chase, which went instead to Eric McNamara, who has now sent out a grand total of three winners this season, half as many as Mullins had on yesterday's card.

Meanwhile at Chepstow, the Welsh Grand National was won by Nicky Martin, whose Exmoor yard last had a winner over fences in January 2019. Thanks to the bottomless reserves of pluck shown by The Two Amigos, Martin now has a trophy on her mantelpiece that was sought by Paul Nicholls, Joe Tizzard, Venetia Williams, David Pipe, Nigel Twiston-Davies and Harry Fry.