FRANCE’S Mathieu Billot and the Dutch-bred gelding Dassler were the winners of Saturday evening’s Land Rover Puissance. The only combination to clear the big wall at 2.15m, they secured the lion’s share of the €30,000 prize fund.

Irish hopes were high heading into the class. Mikey Pender and Hearton Du Bois Halleux had cleared 2.20m at the RDS in 2018 and had matched that height in Bolesworth earlier this summer. After winning the Hickstead Derby in June, he started the class as favourite and was hoping to set a new Dublin record, but was knocked out when he hit the wall at 2.15m in round three.