Joseph O'Brien’s Visualisation made all under Declan McDonogh to win the Coolmore Stud Sottsass Irish EBF Mooresbridge Stakes as Luxembourg was unable to land a blow on his seasonal reappearance.
The one-time Derby favourite and dual Group One winner was sent off the 10-11 favourite to make a winning return, however he failed to pick up with any real enthusiasm leaving Visualisation to steal the show at 12-1, and go one better than his second in the Alleged Stakes last month.
On that occasion his from-the-front tactics saw him reeled in by Point Lonsdale late on, but the five-year-old refused to be passed on this occasion, holding on gamely from last year’s winner Layfayette to score by one and a half lengths. Piz Badile was third.
"Declan gave him a great ride. The horse loves soft, tacky, ground," said O’Brien.
"He was third in this last year on goodish ground. He missed most of last season after a hold-up but he’s come back in real good shape this season. He’s a mud lover.
"Declan said that he felt he moved a bit early on him the last day and he was going to move a bit later today. He said his kick lasted him until 100 yards from the line last time and that he was going to wait an extra 100 yards today. He got him to the line today.
"I have to say it was all up to Declan and he gave him fantastic ride.
"He’s been a good horse for a while and that ground is his thing. Wherever he goes the ground will have to have soft in the description."
Luxembourg was slightly hampered a furlong out but stayed on one-paced for fifth.
His trainer Aidan O’Brien said: "It was his first run of the year and he was a bit rusty.
"The plan was to come here, then come back for the Tattersalls Gold Cup and that is still what we are going to do.
"He ran a lovely race, he’ll come on plenty for it and being a four-year-old colt first time out, there’s always going to be a lot of improvement."
Visualisation bravely holds off his rivals with a gutsy front-running ride from Declan McDonogh!
— The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) May 1, 2023
A wonderful Group 2 victory for the Joseph O'Brien team 👏@coolmorestud @JosephOBrien2 @declanmcdonogh pic.twitter.com/7d0CggIBry
Honey Girl (4-1) led home a one-two for Joseph O'Brien in the Coolmore Stud Circus Maximus Irish EBF Athasi Stakes.
Placed at Group Three level and sixth in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot last season for Henry de Bromhead, Honey Girl changed hands for 180,000 guineas in November and made an immediate impact on her debut for new connections when notching a first career victory at the Curragh in late March.
The four-year-old faced a step back up in class for this seven-furlong Group Three, but proved more than up to the task in the hands of Dylan Browne McMonagle, picking up well without being asked for maximum effort to prevail by an impressive three and a half lengths.
The winner’s high-class stablemate Agartha was best of the rest in second, with the William Haggas-trained favourite Queen Aminatu a disappointing seventh of eight runners.
Paddington (5-6 favourite) further strengthened Aidan O'Brien’s formidable Classic hand with a clear-cut success in the Coolmore Stud Blackbeard Irish EBF Tetrarch Stakes.
A five-length winner of a maiden at the track last season, the Siyouni colt kicked off the current campaign with victory in the Madrid Handicap at Naas, earning him a step up in class for a Listed race his trainer had not won for 20 years.
With Seamie Heffernan in the saddle, the favourite travelled like the best horse in the race for much of the one-mile contest and picked up well once popped the question to score by a length and a half from stablemate Drumroll, who also shaped with plenty of promise on only his second career start.
The winner was taken out of Saturday’s Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket before Monday’s confirmation stage, but his big-race entries do include the Irish Guineas and the French Guineas, as well as the Dante Stakes at York and the Derby at Epsom.
Paddington completed a Listed race double on the card for the O’Brien-Heffernan combination, with His Majesty (5-2) earlier making a winning debut in the GAIN First Flier Stakes.
Donnacha O’Brien Do It With Style (3-1) also enjoyed a successful racecourse introduction in the Irish EBF Median Sires Series Maiden under Gavin Ryan.
