Messrs Mulligan and McCoy belie odds

When they went down to the start in the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup most Irish eyes were on Danoli, and the confident prediction was that quite a shindig would break out in the unsaddling enclosure if he captured the great prize. "You won't be able to move down there for madmen," somebody said. A cheer went up as Danoli passed by and there was a applause too for another fancied Irish challenger, Doran's Pride who had already survived a threat of withdrawal caused by the unusually fast going.

Not much attention was paid however to the lightly-raced Mr Mulligan, despite the presence on his back of Tony McCoy, who rates so highly among contemporary figures in the jump racing business.

As there was nothing but daylight in McCoy's sights from start to finish when he won the Champion Hurdle on Make A Stand, perhaps Mr Mulligan should have come under closer scrutiny when contesting the lead with Dublin Flyer after some six or seven fences had been negotiated.

Doubtless, a fall at the last in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day that has left him marked for life figured among the estimates in running, but the sight of Mr Mulligan jumping brilliantly and his keenness between fences began to make room for general changes in opinion.

Comparative novices in the field were making very little headway and the further the race went the more likely it seemed that McCoy would score a rare double.

McCoy had two fistfuls of running horse and the majority in the stands watched with growing admiration. Some pretty hefty bets were going down - but what could be done about such an impressive combination?

Young jump jockeys are advised not to let horses loaf into fences unless they enjoy getting hurt, but to send them in as hard as they will go.

A naturally gifted performer in the saddle, McCoy has long since refined his technique, and in any case Mr Mulligan was so obviously enjoying his work that McCoy didn't have to think about issuing serious reminders.

How quickly things can change in racing. After taking Mr Mulligan out on a gallop recently, McCoy had filed an adverse report on the chestnut gelding. The response of Mr Mulligan's trainer, Noel Chance, had been that not much notice should be paid to the horse's efforts in preparation.

"Noel told me not to worry," McCoy said happily. "And sure enough when I galloped the horse last Wednesday he really flew."

Mind you, there was also the memory of a bad experience at Cheltenham in the Festival meeting last year when Mr Mulligan hit the first fence so hard in the Sun Alliance Chase that he had to make up at least 15 lengths just to get back into the race.

On a day of bright sunshine and heaving, excited crowds Mr Mulligan ran as though a glance at the odds of 20-1 had left him in despair of rational assessment.

In truth Mr Mulligan was never really threatened. Dublin Flyer pulled up and second-placed Barton Bank was all of nine lengths adrift of the winner.

Instead of the thunderous reception Danoli would have received there was a sense of anti-climax. Strange that. But then, racing was never meant to please everyone.