Feathers flew on day three of the festival. There was no cause for alarm, however, in that they were all attached to a hat belonging to Kay Devlin, the Crossmaglen publican and horse owner.
She fell foul of a gust of wind en route to the track and had to watch the Galway Plate without the lucky headwear she sported in the winners' enclosure last year.
So much for superstition. For the second year running, Ansar romped to victory. And if she was short of a hat, Ms Devlin was no more stuck for words than in 2004, when she promised free drink ("and they can still smoke, too") for anyone who turned up at her south Armagh pub.
"I'm still shaking," she said after yesterday's race. "I lost my feathers on the way here, but this is like a dream - he's a fantastic horse." Fantastic is right. A present from two of her sons, Ansar is the gift horse that keeps giving, having now won seven of his eight races at Galway. When she first acquired him, Ms Devlin had doubts. "I needed a horse like a hole in the head. But he's been a great servant. He's such a talented animal - very witty and very smart, just like myself."
As always on festival Wednesday, there were two Galway Plates at issue. In the other - the one being served in the Fianna Fáil tent - beef fillet in a wild mushroom sauce just edged out the baked darne of salmon with tarragon, which in turn finished well clear of the vegetarian entrée (pasta in sun-dried tomato and a red onion cream). The trio was chased home by a "duo of desserts with strawberries", while after-dinner mints and coffee brought up the field.
The food was so good that few politicians emerged during the early afternoon. We had to depend on Labour's Michael D Higgins for a tip, and it wasn't about horses. Spotted near the entrance to the hospitality village, he was quick to scotch rumours that he had been a secret guest of the Government party. "You'll recognise the people heading for the Fianna Fáil tent," he advised, "because the women are all wearing burkas and the men all have brown paper bags over their heads."
Braving the wit of Galway socialists and other potential critics, Bertie Ahern did emerge just before the big race. But Ballybrit is one sporting venue where he never gets booed. There's the odd critic, like the man with the Border accent who shouted: "Bertie! What about the smoking ban, hi? You're crazy, man." Even that was good natured, although the Taoiseach just grinned and kept walking.
The young, the old, the brave and the bold come to Galway, and Bertie shakes hands with most of them. Among those he greeted was 84-year-old Micho Bakey, from Bell Harbour, Co Clare, who told him he'd been coming to Galway for 67 years.
"I'll never live long enough to beat that," said Bertie, clearly impressed. A moment later, he was exchanging greetings with Seán White-Mullin (4) from Clondalkin, Dublin, who was enjoying a grandstand view of the races from his father's shoulders.
The Taoiseach, who had one eye on the track and the other on the expected breakthrough in the North, backed Warrens Castle for the big race, which he watched from the stand. The Cabinet had been deeply divided on the issue, with John O'Donoghue favouring Banasan.
In the event, both horses were disputing the outcome until Ansar provided a Northern breakthrough of another kind and left the field standing.
Politics and sport got mixed up in the winners' enclosure, where Paul Devlin - one of the owner's gift-giving sons - posed with the horse and quipped: "Here's a photograph for Paisley!" And still on the subject of politics, the man who had raised the smoking ban during Bertie's walkabout also turned up for the celebrations: where it emerged that he was none other than the second brother, Glenn Devlin. "C'mon Armagh," he shouted.
It must have been Border Counties Day at Galway. Also spotted in the crowd, fresh from retiring Mike Tyson, was Kevin "The Clones Colossus" McBride.
It was just as well he didn't have any criticisms to raise with the Taoiseach, or feathers might have flown again.
