ON RTÉ’s coverage of Punchestown on Wednesday, just as Ruby was on his way to the winners’ enclosure, Ted Walsh started choking up and crying.

I couldn’t help but think at the time: “Ah Ted, come on mate, it’s only Ruby’s millionth Grade 1, surely you’re not that emotional!”

But then it all made sense. Not only Ted’s tears but that random wave celebration from Ruby after he passed the line.

“I’m out of here,” he told Willie, only just before telling everyone present at the course and indeed watching on television through the parade ring announcer and The Irish Field colleague Brendan McArdle.

Indeed, Brendan, not one to brag or anything, strolled into The Irish Field towers on Thursday morning in full Conor McGregor-like swagger, after scooping the news everyone had suspected might happen but was still shocked to here.

The clap that echoed around the parade ring will surely be a moment those present will never forget.

I suppose everything else played second fiddle for the rest of the week but Punchestown rarely delivers just one story.

Un De Sceaux produced a carbon copy of his winning performance in the BoyleSports Champion Chase last year, to make it two in a row in the two-mile contest, at the ages of 10 and 11. It was also a 10th Grade 1 for the “Iron Horse” who shows no signs of stopping. This is a horse who thrives on racing and who’d bet against him turning up here next year to try and make it a hat-trick at the age of 12.

With regard to British participation, no other Irish meeting or festival comes close to the pulling power of Punchestown, this on both sides of the white railing. Apparently the number of visitors travelling across the Irish Sea was down this year but on Thursday, I couldn’t go far without hearing an accent not familiar to Kildare. It’s a brilliant addition to a festival and another example of how racing can contribute to this country.

On the track, British-trained runners have prospered, particularly the ones owned by J.P. McManus, Unowhatimeanharry, Buveur D’Air and Reserve Tank scooping Grade 1 races

The former-mentioned is a remarkable horse. I spoke to Harry Fry for the Talking Trainer column last week and as you do as a journalist, I was looking for that catchy line that would stand out. How silly of me to go in from the angle of trying to fish out any sort of plan to retire the 11-year-old after Thursday’s race.

I did ask Harry if Punchestown could help revitalise the J.P. McManus-owned hurdler, who had struggled on each of his previous two starts, to which he replied: “Yea, maybe. But look, he owes us nothing. He has been a brilliant servant and whatever happens, happens, we’ll see how it goes.”

A fourth Grade 1 for the horse who joined Fry as a 123-rated handicap hurdler, climbing all the way up the ladder to a peak of 167.

That is the same rating of Buveur D’Air, at least before he returned to winning ways in the Punchestown Champion Hurdle yesterday. Sadly Mark Walsh missed the ride due to an earlier fall which led Nicky Henderson into the weigh room to find a new jockey. Apparently earlier in the week the same situation arose when Peter Maher needed someone to ride Ballyboker Bridge. Sean Flanagan heard the news that a spare was going and sprinted to the entrance to make sure he was the first to meet Maher, who showed a turn of foot later on himself. I’m not sure if this was the case with Davy Russell as well (see above photo, the exact moment captured by Caroline Norris) but he was the chosen one for Henderson and delivered Buveur D’Air back to the winners’ enclosure under a typically patient ride.

Musical Slave (trained by Philip Hobbs), O O Seven (Nicky Henderson) and Caid Du Berlais (Rose Loxton) were other successful raiders and hopefully this spurs on their counterparts to have a go next year.

Hopefully we’ll see more of Chacun Pour Soi next year as well, as we haven’t seen much of him yet, but he is a chaser of immense talent on the evidence of a fabulous performance in the Ryanair Novice Chase.

Foot-perfect was the Rich Ricci-owned gelding but perhaps the biggest indicator of his ability was the fact that he was allowed to go off 3/1 against two well above average Cheltenham Festival winners. That’s 3/1 about a Naas beginners chase winner on his first run in one of the deepest Grade 1s of the week. That tells you the level of confidence in this son of Policy Maker. Indeed Willie Mullins revealed such when he reportedly told Robbie Power: “If he’s as good as we think he is, God knows what will happen!”

He was one of nine (and counting) Willie Mullins-trained winners this week, which was probably the only sure thing going into this year’s festival. Liam Cusack and John McConnell did strike for the smaller yards however, the former gaining a very much deserved win through Snugsborough Hall, who was cruelly taken out by a wayward Mind’s Eye at Fairyhouse. He could hardly have been more impressive in the Pigsback.com Handicap Chase on Thursday, rich compensation for his owners.

There was also a big win for an even smaller trainer in Patrick Hayes yesterday, who only took out his licence, after a seven-year hiatus, a month ago. He sent out Flirting Lesa to win the unique Bishopscourt Cup and she didn’t go unbacked, starting at 14/1 from a top price of 66/1.

There’s likely a few sore heads in that house this morning. Although you could probably say that about many households in the surrounding Kildare area after another huge week. And it’s not finished yet.

“For an 11-year-old to be doing that in a Grade 1 is remarkable – he’s probably older than two hunters that have led him into the enclosure!”

Not quite that old Willie but we know what you mean. The champion trainer pays tribute to the brilliant Un De Sceaux after he made it back-to-back wins in the BoyleSports Champion Chase on Tuesday.

“I was just hunting him around. I’d say there’s massive improvement to come.”

Jamie Codd issues an upbeat prediction for Land Rover Bumper winner Festival D’Ex.

“Ruby just got off him and said ‘can you find someone for Livelovelaugh?’ and I was thinking is he lame, concussed or dehydrated, but he said ‘I’m out of here’ and the penny dropped.”

Willie only just found out about Ruby before the rest of the world.

“We came here with our biggest team yet and it hadn’t gone to plan for the first two days but this one means more than any of them. If we could have picked any of them to come out and win a race it would be this fellow.”

Harry Fry, a big supporter of Punchestown, rejoices in Unowhatimeanharry’s second victory in the Champion Stayers Hurdle.

“I just love the La Touche. We do a lot of pre-training, we don’t really train, but all the same we have trained a winner at the Punchestown Festival for every year for six or seven years.”

Peter Maher is a Punchestown stalwart.

“I think we’ve seen a racehorse here. To turn into the straight with a JLT winner on one side of him and an Arkle winner on the other side of him and to win the way he did says a lot about him.”

Willie Mullins reacts with more than his usual excitement after Chacun Pour Soi took the Ryanair Novice Chase on just his second ever run over fences.

”It was a great race between Buveur and Supasundae in Liverpool and it was again today. I just hope Jessie still feeds me tonight.”

It’s all well and good staying with your innkeeper for a week but denying her a Grade 1 with one of your own guests might not go down well!