IT is 10 years ago this spring since the inaugural Prestbury Cup between Britain and Ireland was officially launched, and the mood surrounding the concept being formalised at that time was mixed to say the least.

Described as “utterly redundant”, “a farce of a competition” and “a load of old Cotswolds” by some journalists and betting traders in its debut year, many felt it was a pointless exercise as Ireland would nearly always be pushing water up a hill when trying to win more races than the hosts in their own backyard.