Venetian Sun 5/2 for Commonwealth Cup after brilliant Sandy Lane win

In a race that was delayed after racing had to be switched to the inside track and the round course races abandoned after a hole opened up on the outside course in race one, there were ironic cheers as the stalls opened.

They were replaced by applause as Karl Burke's charge went to the front on the bridle approaching the final furlong.

Clifford Lee barely moved a muscle as his partner stretched clear to beat Divsion by a length.

Venetian Sun was reverting to sprinting after failing to get home in the Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on her reappearance. She is now 5/2 from 7/1 for the Commonwealth Cup with Paddy Power and Sky Bet.

Speaking from the Curragh the trainer said: "I've only just seen the quick replay there but that looked super impressive. I told Cliff to be confident but I thought he was being over-confident and was a length further back than ideal but he gave her a peach of a ride.

"He sat still to the furlong marker and I don't think he even used the stick. I stupidly should have worked out sprinting was her game after working her with Beautiful Diamond just before the Guineas and she couldn't go with her - and she's a proven Group-class sprinter.

"She's just a gifted filly and will go straight to the Commonwealth Cup."

Sean Graham, racing manager to joint-owner Tony Bloom, said: “Karl was adamant she had to try the 1000 Guineas. She ran over seven furlongs as a two year old in the Moyglare and we thought as she was so relaxed that she would get the trip in the 1000 Guineas.

"Clearly she didn’t get the trip and this was the next step. We wanted to run her here to get the three weeks before Royal Ascot so when they were talking about the races being abandoned we thought where do we go next or do we even have a run before Ascot. Karl said she is so relaxed and is so laid back that she came out of the 1000 Guineas and you wouldn’t even have known that she had a race. It was one of the performances of the season so far I would say. I thought he had mistaken the winning post as he was the only one still travelling at the furlong pole.

"I think the thing with this filly is we never want to hit the front too soon on her as she always has a look around. Clifford said he was going so well but then Cieran Fallon came up and tried to block us in. He then had to go around him, but when he gave her two clicks she just took off.

“The Commonwealth Cup is going to have18 to 20 runners and the draw can play a big part there. We will just need a bit of luck in running as she is a hold up horse.

“On that performance I wouldn’t swap her for anything else. The Guineas probably told us nothing if she had trained on or not. The only thing you could go by was Karl, and his staff at home, telling us what good order she was in and how she was working.

"The horses that she was working with suggested she had trained on. Bringing her back to six furlongs was the correct option and full credit to Karl and his team as they have done a fantastic job.”

Clifford Lee added: “I made the right call. She is a very good filly and she travelled very well. I actually thought she was probably in a position behind where I wanted to be, but she did it nicely in the end and she picked up very well. I’m delighted with her.

“I almost felt the horse in front of me (Division) nicked a length out of me, but when I came back upsides it easy enough I didn’t want to be kicking two down clear and then stopping. I just rode her to the last furlong and got her home. She is a good filly and I’m glad she is back winning over six furlongs.”

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