The Ado McGuinness inmate was being pushed along some way from home, looking at the mercy of first He’s Our Man and then Zuzka as they cruised towards the lead.

However, Face Value refused to go down without a fight and despite fluffing his lines at the final obstacle, he kept on to score by three and a half lengths.

Zuzka beat He’s Our Man to the runner-up spot.

Splaine's father, Robert, is a former successful international show jumper and current Chef D'Equipe to the Irish team at the Olympics.

The winning rider said: “That was great, I can’t believe it! I’m just grateful to the owners and Ado for giving me the spin.

“I was not particularly confident, just hopeful. He won at Ballinrobe and it was testing around there and the rain is jut starting to get in around here now as well so I think conditions suited him.

“He probably will be better on better ground but he handles this fine. They’re calling it yielding and I’d say that’s about right but as the day goes on it’ll probably get a bit more testing.

“I did plenty of showjumping too when I started out which is a great help to me in this game, but racing was simply my interest and I went that road. I’ve broken my leg twice which wasn’t a help, obviously, but I’m getting going again now.”

'He's game'

Face Value was a 1,200 guineas purchase out of the Brian Meehan yard at last year’s Tattersalls July Sales.

McGuinness said: "He's game - he's the first four-year-old to win this since 2005. He was very game really as he was the first off the bridle, although in fairness he was getting all the allowances.

“David is a very good lad to ride, he has a good eye from his showjumping days. We’ve no plans. He’s in again on Friday but he’ll probably get a break now and come back for Bellewstown.”

Other winners

Pride Of The Artic streaked clear to land the Latin Quarter Chase for Peter Fahey.

A winner at Down Royal on his latest competitive appearance in mid-June, the 6-1 chance was sent straight to the head of affairs by Andrew Leigh.

He produced some fine leaps to maintain his position until the home turn, after which he extended his lead further.

The seven-year-old came home with five and a half lengths in hand over Supreme Doc. Definite Class was third.

Fahey said: ``That was brilliant, he did it a lot easier that I thought he would. I was worried it about it not being a novice race but Andrew gave him a great ride and everything worked out brilliantly.

“He’s not the easiest horse to keep sound. We do a lot of work on him at home and everyone works hard on him.

“If he gets an uneven surface; if the ground’s after being chopped up or anything, he doesn’t act on it.

“He has to have a real fresh surface and with it being the first race of the week here that was suitable for him, we said we’d let him take his chance, even though it was against seasoned horses. But it worked out great.

“He’s a real stayer and he got his own way in front. They didn’t go over-quick and that really suited him.”

Leigh, who is the trainer’s brother-in-law, said: “He is a front-runner and I got to dictate things from the front.

“I learnt a lot from watching the first race, the two-milers didn’t get home so I said I’d try to hold on to him as much as I could.

“I knew he had a nice turn of foot and when I walked the track beforehand the best ground was over on the far rail so that’s what I targeted the whole way.

“There were other races for him this week but we were worried about his lack of experience so that’s why we went for a race with a smaller field to get more experience into him.”

Dermot Weld secured his fourth winner of the meeting as the Pat Smullen-ridden Voleuse De Coeurs pulled right away in the Topaz Handicap.

The Lady O’Reilly-owned filly was the 9-2 favourite to continue the trainer’s excellent start to the week and having travelled strongly, Smullen sent his mount into the lead rounding the home turn.

The Charles Byrnes-trained Domination moved into the race stylishly, but had no answer when the market-leader went for home and had to make do with the runner-up spot, beaten eight lengths.

Smullen said: ``Voleuse De Coeurs handled the conditions well but the step up in trip was the real key to her.

“People might think that from an 18 stall over two miles that the draw doesn’t make much difference, but it made it difficult for me there.

“I had to get very far back in the field and try to get in and get cover for as much of the race as I possibly could. It made it tricky for us but she had the ability.

“Domination ran very well also, both of us pulled away from the field but I think with the way the ground is today, you’re going to get exaggerated distances. I won it last year with Rainforest Magic as well, we’ve been very fortunate here.”

Weld said: ``I was concerned she wouldn't handle the ground being a three-year-old but she got a lovely ride from Pat.

“The plan was to ride it like a National Hunt race – to get her switched off - and there are few better at doing it than Pat.

“She had the race won a long way out. She wasn’t beaten that far at Killarney the last day and she was always going to improve going further.

“I love my horses to be down at the bottom of two-mile handicaps and if she got the trip I knew she’d be hard to beat.”

Vastonea lunged late to deny British raider Pintura in the European Breeders Fund-sponsored Topaz Mile, the feature race of the second day.

The Kevin Ryan-trained Pintura appeared to have seen off his rivals when taking a couple of lengths out of the field after straightening up for home, with prolific winner Custom Cut looking booked for second.

But the Kevin Prendergast-trained 7-1 shot Vastonea came from further back in the hands of Declan McDonogh to beat them both, with half a length the official winning margin over Pintura.

Custom Cut was third, with Weld’s well-backed favourite Rock Critic fourth.

Prendergast was training his fifth winner of the Topaz Mile.

McDonogh said: “I was unlucky not to win on him at Leopardstown, but looking back it was probably a blessing in disguise.

“He was unlucky there, but staying won it today and the rain came in time. Mr Prendergast does like to win it, we won it together with Eklim before and he was a good horse.

“This horse might step up and be OK. The boss will be gloating on the top of the Old Vic (Curragh gallop) to Mr Weld next week after that!”

Winning owner Norman Ormiston said: “Kevin always believed in this horse. He had lots of problems as a yearling, but Kevin always said there was a big one in him. Declan rode a blinder.”