Racing:Richard Hughes enjoyed another outstanding afternoon's work at Ascot as a 377-1 treble sealed the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup for himself and his Irish teammates.
It will not quite compare with his hat-trick on the first day of the Royal meeting aboard Paco Boy, Canford Cliffs and Judgethemoment, but it was enough to claim the Silver Saddle - a prize he took back in 2002.
The competition is all about the jockeys and is well publicised and attended, despite attracting a fair bit of sniping from the purists as lesser-known international stars take on familiar faces, with all of them usually having to get to grips with different trainers and horses.
While Indian rider Malesh Narredu and the Japanese Hiroyuki Uchida had never even seen the Berkshire course, Hughes knows virtually every blade of grass and waltzed to victory thanks to Polly's Mark, We'll Come and Press The Button.
Ireland ended on an incredible 101 points from the overall placings from Hughes, Seamie Heffernan and Neil Callan, while Hayley Turner's Great Britain team were runners-up on 56.
Hughes contributed 49 of those, with Turner and the Swede Fredrik Johansson drawing for second on 30 each.
"I'm very proud - last year we were terrible!" said Hughes. "I was lucky to have some good rides - if you're not in the hustle you won't win anything.
"I just love riding horses and I can't even wait to go to Lingfield tonight.
"As long as it's not too far a drive, I'll go anywhere. I do love this track as a rule but I was lucky to get some good rides.
"This competition is a bit different to usual but if you are riding with a bit of confidence it opens up.
If you're trying to make things happen, it usually doesn't happen."
Hughes shone particularly brightly on the giant We'll Come (8-1), poking up the fair rail to bolt four and a half lengths clear in the Les Ambassadeurs Club Shergar Cup Mile Handicap.
"You can't kid a kidder but he wasn't travelling at all well early on," explained Hughes. "But I always like going up the inside rail and when we got there, he exploded."
A classier prospect for the future might be Polly's Mark (5-2 favourite), who followed up a Listed win at Newbury last Sunday with an impressive display in Titanic Quarter Shergar Cup Classic.
The filly's trainer, Clive Cox, said: "She has had two races in a week now but I think she is really on the upgrade.
"I'm tempted to go for a Group Two at Longchamp on Arc weekend now."
Hughes wrapped up the competition on Push The Button (11-1) in the Michael Page International Shergar Cup Challenge before Callan added another Irish success as he delivered Aaim to Prosper (8-1) late in the Sodexho Prestige Shergar Cup Stayers to pick off the 7-2 favourite Yes Mr President inside the final 100 yards.
Johansson teamed up with Nick Littmoden's chestnut Group Therapy (9-1) in the opening Barclays Shergar Cup Dash, while the final word went to Turner, who had been stuck in traffic and had to sprint through the paddock barefoot to make her first ride.
She closed the meeting by scoring on Tom Dascombe's Noverre To Go (5-1) in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint, in which Uchida was hit with a nine-day ban (dates to be notified) for excessive use of the whip on third-placed Able Master.
"It took me about three hours to get here, and I missed all the introductions, but it's such a good day and everyone seems to be having fun," said Turner.
Attendance was 27,772, down on 33,115 last year's total.