The pattern of the 1990s continued into the new millennium at Leopardstown yesterday when Rudi's Pet led home an English clean sweep in the Ballyogan Stakes.
English-trained horses made off with the Group Three prize six times in the last decade, with the most recent of them, Proud Native, scoring for trainer David Nicholls and his jockey wife Alex Greaves last year.
Seb Sanders took over in the saddle yesterday but the result was the same, as the Nicholls-trained Rudi's Pet led from half way to hold Cassandra Go by half a length. The winner's stable companion, and 7 to 2 favourite, Pepperdine showed in third.
"We let the blinkers off him because we didn't him to run himself into the ground or aggravate his old problems but this race was ideal for Ascot," said Greaves.
Michael Kinane ended up with a trio of winners, but the well-touted Beckett was not among them. That colt was a non-runner in the Rochestown Stakes due to a stone bruise but Kinane simply switched to another newcomer, Pirate Of Penzance, and won handsomely.
Pirate Of Penzance drifted alarmingly in the ring from 4 to 7 to 5 to 2 but won comfortably from the English raider, Pan Jammer.
O'Brien will raise Lampedusa to listed company after making all in the seven-furlong maiden, but Kinane had a much more anxious time on Impulsif, who only just got up in the last stride of the Somerville Handicap.
Damien Oliver rode the third winner of his Irish stint on Provosky, and the Australian rode the horse contrary to all expectations.
"If he'd told me before the race that he would try and make all the running I wouldn't have let him but he's gone against every idea we've had about the horse," laughed Provosky's trainer Irene Oakes. "It must be the Australian accent!"
Independence Hall took the maiden for trainer Tommy Stack, but Pat Smullen on the third, Sage Dancer, picked up a two-day ban for his use of the whip. Seamus Heffernan also got a two-day whip ban for his ride on Gossie Madera.
Permit holder Catal McCarthy was fined £1,000 by the stewards over the running of his horse, Third Agenda, in the last race. The horse was banned from racing for 42 days and jockey Brian Hamilton was suspended for 21 days. The stewards were of the opinion that Third Agenda had not been allowed run on its merits.
