The identity of the Irish horse rumoured to be worth €1 million was finally revealed at the RDS yesterday as World Cruise, a west of Ireland 10-year-old gelding with impeccable breeding.
Yesterday its owner, Vinnie Duffy, a farmer from Co Mayo, confirmed "substantial sums of money were on the table" from foreign buyers but refused to say how much he had been offered for the grey.
The rumours about the €1 million offer from US buyers had been sweeping the RDS since Wednesday when the 132nd show opened for business.
Mr Duffy said he wanted to keep the horse in this country and at 10 years of age he was just coming into his prime and could be a serious contender for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
World Cruise, which is described by some as one of those "rare gems", has a very strong bloodline coming from Cruising out of a Clover Hill mare.
Mr Duffy told reporters yesterday that the horse, being ridden by Shane Breen, had the potential to be "the next Eddie Macken and Boomerang" if he could find sponsorship to keep him in Ireland.
While Mr Duffy was playing his cards close to his chest, Mr Breen estimated that sponsorship of €25,000 to €30,000 could keep the horse in the country.
The identity of the horse yesterday generated heated arguments about its real worth, with detractors and supporters equally divided about the horse.
It has helped to focus the mind of breeders and buyers on the quality of Irish horses, which are becoming increasingly non-Irish as riders and owners look for speed and agility rather than the sturdiness which had been traditionally found in breeding from Irish draught mares.
Yesterday the lack of quality of Irish horses dealt its own hand, and the Irish team could finish only fifth.
The British team won the Nations Cup for the first time since 1996 and were given an enthusiastic reception by the RDS crowd when they beat Germany by a single point.
Gracious in victory, they told a press conference after their win that, although they had drifted out to 14-1 in the betting, they had not bet on themselves. But they were nevertheless delighted with their victory.
Thousands of people came to the grounds yesterday and were rewarded by good weather and good jumping in the main arena where the President, Mrs McAleese, was the chief guest of the day.
The event was televised live by RTÉ and will be seen by millions of other viewers across the world between now and Christmas.
Elsewhere on the grounds, which are to be part of a €100 million redevelopment this autumn, business was brisk in the halls where the RDS has made an effort to upgrade the quality of the stands.
The show continues today and tomorrow, which is a special family day with concessions for family groups.