Bucanero Fuerte (10/3) rallied bravely to overhaul 15/8 favourite Unquestionable and win the Group Two GAIN Railway Stakes at the Curragh.
The winner's stablemate Lightening Army set a very strong early gallop but was swallowed up by the eventual winner passing the two-furlong marker.
However, Ryan Moore and the market leader were never far away and fleetingly went to the front themselves inside the distance only for Bucanero Fuerte to battle back bravely to snatch a short-head verdict.
The pair pulled four-and-a-half lengths clear of His Majesty in third.
The winner finished third behind River Tiber in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and is 16/1 with Betfair and Paddy Power for the QIPCO 2000 Guineas with his Ascot conqueror their 7/1 market leader. Unquestionable is 16s from 20s.
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Winning trainer Adrian Murray said: “He’s a tough horse. We took a chance running him today quick after Ascot and he didn’t let us down. Robson (Aguiar, assistant trainer) said he was on fire during the week and we had no other option only to go for it. He’s entered in the Phoenix Stakes and he could go to France, we are not sure yet. We’ll give him a bit of a break now. He’s a big backward horse and we are not going to rush him. He’s had two quick runs.
“We’ll definitely step him up in trip as that’s what won it for him today. We made plenty of use of him as we knew he would see it out. He likes a bit of dig in the ground and if anything it was a bit quick for him today.”
Aguiar added: “We train in Mullingar and I joined Adrian about five years ago. This horse has plenty of pace and ran well in Ascot. He won over six today and can go further.
“We paid €165,000 for him (as a yearling at Arqana) which I think is cheap as he’s by Wootton Bassett, who is a great sire, and the mare has produced black type (Group One winner Wooded).”
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