1. GORDON ELLIOTT IS HERE TO STAY

After winning the Gold Cup last year, Gordon Elliott banged in a five-timer over the first two days – adding another for good measure on the final afternoon to claim the Festival trainers' title – and still has a sizeable advantage over Willie Mullins in the race to be Ireland's champion trainer. Make no mistake, he will be a permanent Festival fixture for many years to come.

2. YOU CAN'T KEEP A GOOD MAN DOWN

After drawing a blank of the first two days, when even the seemingly unbeatable Douvan was turned over, Willie Mullins kept his counsel with honour and grace. Mullins did not bleat about any hard-luck stories when the chips were down, and emphatically bounced back on Thursday with a brilliant four-timer. His ability to keep calm, when winning and losing, is a lesson to all.

3. A STAR IS BORN

Jack Kennedy is 17. Most of his friends are in colleges and sixth forms, yet he rode the opening winner of the Festival on Tuesday with Labaik in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. Neither Ruby Walsh nor Tony McCoy had managed a winner at that stage of their career. It almost seems a given that Kennedy is the heir to Walsh's throne in his homeland.

4. THE HANDICAPPER IS (NEARLY) ALWAYS RIGHT

There was an awful lot of displeasure voiced by some connections of the Irish battalion who felt they had been hard done by ahead of the handicaps this week. It is a game of opinions, of course, but big-race wins for the likes of Presenting Percy, Road To Respect, Supasundae, Champagne Classic, Arctic Fire, Tully East and Rock The World tend to suggest that chief assessor Phil Smith got things just about on the money after all.

5. OUT ON HER OWN

Jessie Harrington became the leading female trainer in Festival history when Supasundae won the Coral Cup earlier in the week – and then bagged the Gold Cup with Sizing John for good measure with her first ever runner in the race. Quietly spoken, Harrington certainly lets her horses do her talking and left with a treble after Rock The World took the Grand Annual that brought the meeting to a close.