EDDIE Macken, backbone of the Irish team for the past 26 years, finally plucked the plum that had always eluded him by winning the Kerrygold Grand Prix in sensational style at the RDS yesterday.
In a show stopper that could boast more drama than any soap opera, Macken's supreme talent conjured up the winning round in a three way jump off with a horse that he has never considered his best to claim the £22,000 winner's cheque at the 27th attempt.
"I've had some great horses in it in the past and I've never won," an elated Macken said after the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, Mr Bruton, had presented him with the coveted trophy.
It was by no means an easy victory. Galway rider Tom Slattery and the stallion Coille Mor Hill, pathfinders around the 14 fence track, made it all look easy for just one time fault. But 16 of the 41 starters retired after getting into difficulty around a course made even tougher by sticky, holding ground after torrential rain during the lunch break.
Incredibly, 22 horses had jumped before the first zero flashed up on the electronic scoreboard in recognition of Robert Smith's brilliant clear for Britain with Tees Hanauer. And it was another 11 before the European champion forced a jump off by going clear with La Ina in going that tested the best.
The conditions made the treble particularly troublesome. One of its most notable scalps was Cruising, the stallion surrounded by controversy after its owner Mary McCann refused to allow the horse to travel to Atlanta. Only hours before the Grand Prix, Cruising and Trevor Coyle had been named on the team for the big Canadian show at Calgary but the horse was withdrawn from the squad after hitting the first two elements of the combination and ducking out at the last part before being retired.
Eddie Macken, minus his top horse Miss FAN through injury, made the decision to bring his Olympic mount FAN Schalkhaar back from Atlanta and straight into Dublin. It was a risk but it, paid off handsomely. The Dutch bred gelding took everything in his stride to provide a tricorn jump off and salvage what had threatened to turn into a disaster.
Robert Smith, whose father, Harvey, has four Dublin Grand Prix wins to his tally, set the standard with another classy clear to stop the clock on 40.96. Peter Charles and La Ina shaved off a full second but the back rail coming out of the now two part combination was down to leave the first Irish challenger behind Smith.
But Friday's Aga Khan defeat at the hands of Britain needed to be avenged and Macken was just the man to do it. The crowd held its collective breath as Macken wheeled Schalkhaar into the first, but not many noticed the shoe from the horse's near fore fly off.
Macken knew the shoe was loose before he started and was dreading it coming off en route; round the track, knowing that Schalkhaar could so easily slip without it. But the gelding was in pure jumping mode and, as he steadied for the final upright, Macken knew just one fence stood between him and victory.
Schalkhaar soared over it and then, ears pinned back, hurtled through the finish like a steeple chaser. The crowd was already celebrating a stunning Irish win even before the clock flashed up 40.90, just six hundredths faster than Smith's time, but the margin was enough to give Macken the result he has wanted for so long.
It was a sensational finish to a wonderful weekend for the Irish, with Trevor Coyle scoring in Saturday's Puissance, Peter Charles claiming the mini Grand Prix and Commandant Gerry Mullins getting the crowd lit up with a scorching victory in yesterday's Kerrygold speed championship.