Crossfirehurricane picked up points in the European Road to the Kentucky Derby series with victory in the Listed Woodford Reserve Patton Stakes at Dundalk.
The unbeaten Kitten's Joy colt tracked his Joseph O'Brien-trained stablemate Choice Of Mine into the straight, and the pair had a real battle through the final two furlongs.
Sent off at 5-2, Shane Crosse's mount began to get on top close home and had enough in reserve to prevail by half a length in the seven-furlong affair, as the front two came nicely clear of the rest of the field.
Crosse said: "He's done nothing wrong since day one. We didn't go hard today and I was happy to move outside Declan (McDonogh, on Choice Of Mine) and get a lead into it. The two of us have pulled away from the third horse.
"He jumped well, so I wasn't going to take him back. He was travelling and he can be a bit lazy but you would rather have them that way than the other way.
"He has the speed for a mile and I could see him going further."
Elsehwere on the card, Aidan O'Brien's first domestic runner of 2020 was a winner, with United Front getting off the mark at the fourth time of asking in the Irishinjuredjockeys.com Maiden as the 5-6 favourite.
