THE Guinness Galway Hurdle was the day’s big one, but for Ted and Robert one wasn’t enough, as they recalled with a misty eye the days of its split into two divisions.

Showing his mathematical expertise yet again, Ted pointed out that with five each, J.P. and Willie Mullins had half the field between them, but our long division skills had been stretched too far by then and we were all relieved when attention turned to the horses once more.

Testing Tracy’s Irish was Tony Mullins’ novice runner Fearachain, which he revealed means “an annoying little man!”

He was quick to add, “no, he wasn’t named after me, my sister wouldn’t do that to me!” Sadly, for anyone backing him, Fearachain lived up to his name.

Mullins winners at Galway shouldn’t surprise anyone, but Willie was surprised by Laviniad.

“I watched the finish three times,” he revealed, “the first time I thought she was second and the second time I thought she was third!”

He seems to have more nice flat horses than that man Aidan has jumpers, but Ted couldn’t see him giving up the jumps. “I can see him having a lot more flat horses,” predicted Robert.

There was no more popular winner of the big one than “mad as a hatter” Tony Martin, described by the team as the fittest trainer in the game.

“He’s a bike at home and he won’t put a saddle on it for fear of sitting down!” revealed Andrew McNamara.

But Galway is about far more than horses. Where would we be without the educational Ask Ted segment, which taught anyone cutting silage they were best to do it the next day than wait for the weekend.

Three-legged race or wheelbarrow race? Ted prefers the wheelbarrows, but when it comes to Blur or Oasis, he’s definitely a Christy Moore man.

Missing the opportunity of a product plug for a year’s supply, however, he declined to answer what type of hair gel he used.

With a minute’s applause having honoured Sir Peter O’Sullevan across at Goodwood, Tony O’Hehir joined Ted and Robert to share his fond memories of “the supreme professional”, recalling Sir Peter’s final Grand National with the BBC and his sorrow that a bomb scare forced its cancellation.

“Brian O’Connor and myself said it would be run on the Monday, but Peter was adamant it wouldn’t be and offered us 5/2. After the race was run on the Monday he handed us our money and said, ‘don’t think you took advantage of an old man after a glass of wine - I’d have laid you twice as much if I hadn’t had a drink’!”

Robbie McNamara also dropped in and spoke of the inspiration he got from cousin John Thomas, “he was good and manly about it and I tried to do the same.”

As well as playing wheelchair basketball, Robbie has been back up on a horse, but there was no quarter given by a critical Ted.

“You didn’t look too tidy on it!” he ribbed. “I’m as bad as I ever was!” laughed Robbie, an inspiration in his own right.

The casual viewer was treated to an insight into a day in the life of a racehorse, as cameras followed Hurricane Ridge from Jessica Harrington’s to the Curragh for the Ladies Irish Derby.

It may not have had a Hollywood ending, but the care and attention to detail, from the nebuliser to the application of leg ointment, made fascinating viewing.

RTÉ’s coverage finally concluded with more Ask Teds. He made an excellent case for Flyingbolt as the greatest horse he had ever seen, if only it could have stopped there.

“Boxers or Y-fronts?” With the latter chosen, it was left to Robert to sign off with the day’s best summary: “Well now you know everything.”