THEY fought Ga Law, and Ga Law won.
Mind you, like any good police chase, his win in the Paddy Power Gold Cup was fraught with danger and drama.
Ga Law won the Paddy Power Gold Cup at 5-1
Jockey Jonathan Burke saluted the crowd after the race
For the vast majority of the race, it looked like those pesky Irish were going to make off with yet another pot of Cheltenham gold.
Mouse Morris’ French Dynamite appeared to have them all beat turning for home, the Fat Lady well and truly clearing her throat as he cleared the second last.
But as they levelled up for the final fence, well-backed 5-1 shot Ga Law flicked on the blues and twos and put his foot down.
He pinged the last and stormed up the hill to win going away – though that doesn’t really tell the full story.
He whacked the second fence and was shuffled back through the field after another mistake at the fourth – it was more PC Plod than Starsky and Hutch early doors.
But he somehow managed to drag himself back into contention and had the race locked up with a stunning late surge.
It gave good guy Jamie Snowden his biggest win as a trainer, with the victory trumping that of Present View in the novice handicap at the 2014 Festival.
And it was a win that pulled at the heartstrings, too.
The six-year-old is owned by The Footie Partnership, a group of five, Cheltenham-mad friends who set up a syndicate in the memory of their late pal Nick Foot.
He died of cancer five years ago aged just 59 and would have been a grandfather for the first time earlier this week.
If Ga Law needed any extra help, maybe he had some from on high as he came from the clouds to win this historic race.