Dermott Lennon, who led the Irish to team gold at the European Show Jumping Championships in Holland last month, added another victory to his tally yesterday when scooping the Kerrygold Classic with Garronturton Lady to net the £4,000 winner's purse for owner Woods Rosbotham.
The win was a welcome change of fortune for the Irish, redressing the balance after a run of three British victories, but the class - despite its name - certainly won't go down in the annals of show jumping as a classic.
With Paul Duffy's 12-fence track made trickier by rain-soaked turf, just four left everything intact. Despite the limited number, it promised to be an exciting cosmopolitan run against the clock, with Britain, Ireland, France and America all in with a chance. But even before the jump-off got under way, Frenchman Edouard Couperie pulled out and, although the crowd didn't know it, America's Norman dello Joio was also a non-starter, despite his last-to-go draw.
Britain's Tim Stockdale was called in to set the target with the grey Parcival, but a rail off the first part of the double flopped into the mud and Stockdale's time of 37.36 seconds seemed more or less irrelevant as there were, supposedly, still two left to jump.
But Dermott Lennon, briefed by Irish chef d'equipe Tommy Wade, already knew the American had withdrawn. "Tommy told me Norman wasn't going,", Lennon said afterwards, "and I knew all I had to do was beat Tim". Having watched Stockdale's round, Lennon coasted round clear on his Hickstead Speed Derby winner Garronturton Lady and the commentator announced it was a win for Ireland. It may have been a rather flat end to the class, but the home side supporters were delighted to cheer Lennon's success.
The win at least broke the Irish duck as Michael Whitaker had notched up the third British win - and a second for himself - when scoring in the earlier Kerrygold Speed Derby with the 10-year-old Prince Of Wales.
Whitaker, who scored in the opening Kerrygold Speed Stakes on Wednesday with First Samuel, ran Prince Of Wales in the Welcome Stakes but hit four fences on his tour of the track. There were no such mistakes yesterday and, with Prince Of Wales jumping out of his skin, he flew through the finish in 56.35 for the win.
Long-time leader Conor Swail must have thought his target of 59.95 had been safe, but Whitaker's speed was too much and 29-year-old Swail - along with Wednesday's Irish contenders Peter Charles and Marion Hughes - had to settle for second.
Last in, Army rider Capt Gerry Flynn could have rescued it for the home team with Diamond Explosion. The time on the clock - 54.74 - was fastest of the day, but with 10 seconds to add for two fences down, Flynn could get no higher than eighth, three slots below fellow McKee Barracks rider, Lieut David O'Brien and Cruise Hill.