Red Letter relished the step up in trip to run out a cosy winner of the Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes at the Curragh.
Trained by Ger Lyons, the Juddmonte-owned three-year-old began her season in the 1000 Guineas having not been too far away in the Fillies' Mile last year.
While she finished seventh in the Newmarket Classic, she was less than three lengths behind Desert Flower, although she was a beaten even-money favourite on her next start down in Listed company.
Lyons kept her to that level at Killarney last time out when she looked ready for further and so it proved in this nine-furlong Group Three contest.
The Frankel filly looked to have conceded first run to John and Thady Gosden’s Sand Gazelle, but when Gary Carroll pulled the 6-5 favourite out she powered home.
The winning margin was a length and a half and she looks ready to step back up in class.
It's a 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 day in the Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes!
— The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) August 30, 2025
Ger Lyons' three-year-old daughter of Frankel makes a seamless step up in class under canny Gary Carroll 🫡 pic.twitter.com/tK2rtTDaTi
"That was lovely. As I said to Barry (Mahon, Juddmonte racing manager) she’s crying out for that trip but is probably only ready for it now," said Lyons.
"You can see it in her physically, she’s only filling her frame.
"We’ll have a look at the Blandford. The ground is very important, she needs ease in the ground.
"We have a lovely horse to look forward to next year. We’ve just had to be so patient with her. You can see the size of her there, she was angular, and she should only be starting now.
"Hopefully she’ll fulfil all of her potential in the next 12 months. She’s a filly to look forward to.
"We’re looking forward to the end of this year, which is Champions Weekend – which is very important to us.
"Obviously the family have their say on her, but we’ve been training her with all of this in mind, the back end and next year. It looks like she’s going to fulfil her potential and thank us for being patient.
"I think she can get a mile and a half no problem."
Mission Central blasted out of the stalls and never saw another rival to win the Heider Family Stables Round Tower Stakes in taking fashion.
The son of No Nay Never is a rarity in that he hails from Aidan O'Brien’s yard and has a blue-blood pedigree but is a gelding, having shown wayward tendencies when making his debut at Dundalk in April when only fifth of six.
Following a 120-day break he reappeared at the Curragh earlier this month and absolutely bolted up.
With Wayne Lordan replacing the injured Ryan Moore, by halfway Mission Central had everything bar Ipanema Queen off the bridle.
With a furlong to run Listed winner Ipanema Queen could not keep up, but 11-8 favourite Mission Central learly has a quirk or two still left as his head began to get a bit higher and he was beginning to pull himself up.
That allowed Joseph O’Brien’s newcomer The Publican’s Son to make rapid headway and close to within three-quarters of a length and while that was a very promising debut, the market leader held on.
Mission Central soars in the Group Three Heider Family Stables Round Tower Stakes 🚀
— The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) August 30, 2025
Yet another top-notch ball of speed for Ballydoyle and Coolmore 🔵🟠🔵 pic.twitter.com/BNTd2c6Aw0
"Wayne said, unusually, he was still green," said O’Brien, who pointed towards an outing at Doncaster’s St Leger meeting.
"He said he was there at halfway and he was waiting. He said he has a lot of natural speed.
"He learned a bit today, he had to get down and knuckle down.
"I’d say he’s quick, five would be no problem to him, and that’s slow ground.
"Wayne said he felt he was only hacking and the lads in the race felt they were flying, that’s the sign of a speed horse.
"I suppose he could be a Flying Childers-type of horse, he’s very fast and I’d imagine that’s the type of horse he is."
O’Brien’s Hawk Mountain looks a nice middle-distance type for next year having opened his account at the second time of asking in the John Ormonde Wexford Sand Irish EBF (C&G) Maiden.
Fifth on his debut, he made every yard of the running under Lordan to justify 10-11 favouritism.
He holds entries in the Beresford Stakes and the Dewhurst, but that would represent a drop in trip having won over a mile on this occasion.
"I’m delighted with him, he came forward lovely from the first day," said O’Brien.
"He’s a lovely straightforward horse."
Joseph O'Brien has some lofty targets in mind for Queen Of Hawaii having watched her impress in the Newtownanner Stud Irish EBF Stakes.
Beaten on her debut, she looked good when winning her maiden at Leopardstown last month and was sent off at 100-30 against the favourite Sugar Island, from his father Aidan’s Ballydoyle stable.
The way the Kingman filly swept by Moments Of Joy, the Ballydoyle second string, suggests she is worthy of bigger targets.
"She won her maiden well. She was very well bought by Philip Antonacci at Goffs," said O’Brien.
"We thought she was a smart filly and you kind of come here to find out. She looks very smart and you’d have to be excited about her.
"She went through the line strong and Dylan (Browne McMonagle) said that she always feels like there is more in the locker.
"I’d imagine that she’ll either go for the Goffs Million or Fillies’ Mile in Newmarket. We could also look at the Moyglare.
"When she won her maiden at a mile we were looking at coming back to seven and having a look at the Goffs Million.
"We’ll see how she pulls up and discuss it with Philip and see. She’ll be heading for a Group One if it’s not the Million."
Dermot Weld proved he is still a force to be reckoned with in major handicaps by producing Jagged Edge to win the Paddy Power Supporting Cancer Trials Ireland Irish Cambridgeshire at odds of 22-1
Having just the fourth run in his life and racing from 2lb out of the handicap, Weld employed apprentice Wayne Hassett to take a valuable 3lb off his back.
Handy throughout, Hassett managed to get his mount up right on the line to deny Genuine Article, who had also been up there all the way for Seamie Heffernan.
Weld said: "I’m delighted with this horse. He’s a big horse and he loves to be fresh. He won for us in Cork and looked like he was going to go on and he just lost his way a little bit. We left him alone and he’s come back nicely."
There were several fundraising activities during the day in aid of cancer trials, the disease which took Weld’s former stable jockey Pat Smullen so cruelly.
He went on to say: "It’s great to see over a million being raised for pancreatic cancer. It’s such a wonderful achievement and I want to praise Frances Crowley (Smullen’s widow) for everything that she does, the whole team and everyone that contributes.
"It’s such an amazing achievement to be able to raise that kind of money and please God they keep raising more in years to come."
