The success story that is the Ballybrit bonanza continued unabated, with increased attendances every day, culminating in a modern day record of 48,120 people on Thursday. Add in the figure of 877 racing professionals who passed through the AIR turnstile the same day, and you get the picture.

It was standing room only for those who were lucky enough to get in at 25 a head, and not a glimmer of hope for anyone still looking for a bed for the night. The Galway Festival is a riot of colour, atmosphere and flavour, topped up with an undiluted passion for racing, where the horses and jockeys reign supreme over the seven days.

Ansar, for example, received almost as big a cheer as the winner Far From Trouble after finishing a gallant second under top-weight in Wednesday's William Hill Galway Plate.

The 10-year-old is a real course specialist, and his trainer Dermot Weld immediately indicated that Ansar will return to Ballybrit next year for a third crack at summer racing's biggest prize.

Euphoria and desolation invariably go hand in hand when it comes to jump racing, and Roger Loughran's joy at picking up the winning spare ride on the Christy Rochetrained winner was tempered by the injury that befell Tony McCoy, the jockey who was originally scheduled to ride Far From Trouble, in the second race.

McCoy suffered a badly broken and dislocated right wrist in a crashing fall at the second last aboard the Noel Meade-trained Sporting Limerick, a fall that cost the sixyear-old gelding his life. Sadly, he broke his neck, and had to be put down.

Sporting Life is owned by J.P. McManus, and it was some consolation that Far From Trouble also runs in his colours. McCoy, meanwhile, underwent surgery on his fractured wrist the following morning, and the Turf Club medical officer Dr Walter Halley subsequently described his injury as "a very nasty fracture." And Halley couldn't resist adding the quip about the recently-married McCoy:

"At least he can go on a proper honeymoon now!"

Roger Loughran, meanwhile, was revelling in the twin emotions of jubilation and relief. The rider had made the headlines for the wrong reasons at Leopardstown's Christmas meeting, when he mistook the winning post on Central House, so it was doubly welcome for him to be back in the spotlight again for the right reasons on Wednesday.

McCoy was joined on the sidelines 24 hours later by colleague Barry Geraghty, who broke his nose and the left side of his jaw in a firstrace fall from Limerick Lord in the beginners' chase. Geraghty was later transferred by ambulance to the facial unit of Dublin's St James's Hospital.

David Casey was another casualty in the race, when a parting of the ways with Philip Rothwell's Mr Blacktie left him with a broken collarbone.

Niall Madden deputised for him on Emmpat in the Guinness Galway Hurdle, but Geraghty won't need reminding that his place on Cuan Na Grai, from the Paul Nolan stable, was taken by Paddy Flood.

Cuan Na Grai went on to take the spoils from 6/1 favourite Shandon Star, continuing Nolan's recent dominance of the race, and crediting the Enniscorthy trainer with his third winner in the last five years.

The race generated a betting turnover of 817,183 with the bookmakers, but they weren't the only ones smiling at the end of the day. The beam on Paddy Flood's face was still shining bright the following morning.