Irish blood triumphed in the 100,000 Kerrygold Grand Prix yesterday in the shape of the talented nine-year-old Hopes Are High, but it was Britain's Nick Skelton who was in the saddle to score his fifth win in the Dublin feature.
The home side struggled to find the key to Brian Henry's testing 14-fence track, with 21-year-old Clement McMahon - winner on the opening day - coming closest when only the clock denied him a slot in the jump-off.
A mere 10th of a second kept the Clones jockey out of seventh place and halved his winnings to £2,000. Trevor Coyle, Marion Hughes and Peter Charles all had single errors that left them following McMahon home in the line-up.
But Skelton and Hopes Are High's owner David Broome, himself a six-time winner of the Dublin Grand Prix, will be laughing all the way to the bank today after pocketing £33,000 for the afternoon's work.
The partnership between Skelton and the Irish export Hopes Are High was forged only a month ago, but within a week the pair had jumped their way into second place in the King George V Gold Cup behind Robert Smith and another Irish-bred, Senator Mighty Blue.
The Flagmount Diamond gelding Hopes Are High, which was bred in Co Armagh by Michael Hughes, produced one of only a brace of double clears in Friday's Aga Khan Cup. Hopes Are High was foot perfect again yesterday afternoon, clinching the Kerrygold Grand Prix honours by over two seconds from Dutchman Eric van der Vleuten. Germany's Thomas Schepers was third in the six-horse barrage.
Skelton's team mate, Di Lampard, made it a British double by taking a less than inspiring Kerrygold Speed Championship earlier in the day with Flaminka, the German-bred mare previously ridden by Paul Darragh. Her victory came at the expense of Guido Dominici, the man who had sealed Italy's Aga Khan win on Friday.
But the Dublin crowds had the opportunity of cheering home an Irish winner on Saturday, when Peter Charles, winner of the Kerrygold Puissance 12 months ago, brought the French-bred Traxdata T'Aime back to the Ballsbridge arena.
He not only successfully defended his title, but also set a new Dublin record in the process to share the honours with Switzerland's Daniel Etter.
The Irishman was one of three who earned their places in the final round to take a chance over a wall standing at fractionally over 7ft 5in. South African David McPherson was first to have a crack at the record, but Lapino thought better of attempting to scale the massive red and white edifice and McPherson didn't ask him twice.
Charles and T'Aime, who cleared 7ft 2in to win last year, were next in, and the extra inches fazed neither side of the partnership. But T'Aime's massive effort to clear the gigantic wall unseated Charles and left him desperately clinging on to the side of his horse's neck.
Determination fuelled his grip, however, and, although his hat hit the dirt before T'Aime hurtled between the finish flags, Charles somehow regained the safety of the saddle and the record was his.
Daniel Etter and Big Boy had a rather easier path to the winner's enclosure and, when they too scaled the heights, Charles had to split the proceeds and share his place in the record books with his Swiss rival.