WILLIE Mullins’ riders excelled during the week. It was great to see Ruby Walsh back for starters, it was great to see him in silks in the parade ring and to see his familiar crouch on Easy Game in the novices’ hurdle, the first race on the first evening. The horse was well named. It was as if he had never been away.

This game is never that easy for that long though, as we saw when Exchange Rate jinked sharply to his left at the first hurdle in the first race on Tuesday, and left Ruby with nothing but fresh air to sit on.