THAT last weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown was a success seems to have been quickly and generally accepted, but the event’s longer-term impact on the fabric of jumps racing in Ireland and Britain may ultimately prove even more profound.

The sudden appearance of a bona-fide mini-festival a few weeks before Cheltenham could eventually ensure that members of the media – and I include myself in this – think twice before tediously analysing every pre-March performance for what it indicates for the future rather than what was achieved in the here and now.