A round-up of the pick of the action from the Curragh on Sunday including Group-race success for Karl Burke's raider Soul Love and Johnny Murtagh's Curracloe.
Murtagh dreaming big with Curracloe
Curracloe (13/8 joint-favourite) put up a decent performance to beat Alpine Wedding by two and three-quarter lengths in the Group 3 Darley Fillies Stakes.
Johnny Murtagh's filly came to challenge Paddy Twomey's representative approaching the final furlong and showed a good attitude under Ben Coen when asked to put the race to bed.
Murtagh told Racing TV: "You're always looking to try and get these good horses into your yard. Ours usually need a run, they always run green, but Ben liked her from the word go and the way she won her maiden was impressive.
"We were a bit worried coming here today, I said to Ben 'what about the ground?' and he said to me 'the good ones go on any ground'. But she'll be better when she gets better ground.
"She has a good temperament, that's a big thing with her. Ben doesn't give much away but I know by his body language he likes this one! It's a big boxed ticked for her and hopefully she'll go on, improve again and be a really, really nice three-year-old. Today was a big step and we'll sit down and make a plan.
"She strikes me as a Guineas filly so it'll be a bit nicer in the winter now, those long, cold nights might feel a bit shorter."
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Chute goes one better under top weight
Chally Chute was a half-length winner of the Friends Of The Curragh Irish Cesarewitch, 12 months on from just missing out in the valuable staying prize.
Ross O'Sullivan's 16/1 shot was ridden by Sam Coen and came with a well-timed run in the rain-softened conditions to get the better of Sirius (28/1) and Galileo Dame (25/1), with Madbadanddangerous (80/1) taking fourth spot. Shoda (25/1) and 9/2 joint-favourite Sky Captain were fifth and sixth respectively.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsCoen said: "That's some feeling that now. I can't thank Ross enough, and the owners, for putting me up again. He had bad luck last year and things didn't go our way, we never got there in time and finished second.
"I was hoping rather than thinking that I'd be up again this year but they put me up and I'm delighted to pay them back with that now.
"We had an eye on the weather app over the last couple of days and the rain came for us, thankfully. He loves that, he grows another leg in it.
"We had a nice pitch and a couple stayed out wide but when they came in I just got shuffled back a position or two. I travelled around everywhere, he took me along to the two-pole and I just had to switch in about a furlong and a half down but I think it actually helped me as if I didn't I'd have got there too soon.
"My lad kept galloping, he was good and tough. I'm delighted. This season has been unbelievable, big thanks to everyone who is supporting me. Last year I had 18 winners and said if I could have near-20 this year I'd be delighted. That's 24 now so anything more is a bonus."
Rest of the action
Capability Brown opened his account at the third time of asking in the Izuzu Ireland Irish European Breeders Fund Maiden at the Curragh.
The apparent second-string for Aidan O'Brien in the hands of Wayne Lordan, the son of Dubawi attracted support and having been sent off a 4/1 chance, was bounced out from the inside stall and duly made all the running.
He kept up the gallop to pull nicely clear, with Cluster (2/1) two and a quarter lengths in second and five lengths further back to Warrawood (66/1) back in third. O'Brien's 5/6 favourite Kingdom Of Camelot was fourth under Ryan Moore.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsLordan told Racing TV: "He likes slower ground which was a plus and he's improved from run to run. I thought his run in Gowran, he ran well and Drumbeat won. Drumbeat was third in a Group 2 here yesterday so he's not a bad horse, it's just taken him the runs to get it.
"He's very straightforward, he pops the gates and travels nice which is a plus."
Capability Brown was bringing up a quickfire double for O'Brien who won the opening Army Equitation Centenary Irish European Breeders Fund Maiden with Raging Bull (Moore, 1/2 favourite).
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsSoul Love was another all-the-way winner in the Group 3 Qatar Racing And Equestrian Club Renaissance Stakes.
Karl Burke's filly was a popular 5/2 joint-favourite along with eventual third Power Blue and the three-year-old was driven to a three-quarter-length success over prolific course regular Big Gossey (12/1) who was made to settle for second.
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsValentino Eclipse had little trouble justifying 2/5 favouritism under Seamie Heffernan in the Celebrating County Kildare And Lexington Twinning Maiden, Fozzy Stack's colt close to the pace throughout and powering away to beat 25/1 chance Port Arthur by three and three-quarter lengths.
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