Ribee brought up a long-awaited hat-trick when routing the opposition in the Nua Healthcare Irish Lincolnshire at the Curragh.
Although finishing last season with wins at both Galway and Gowran in October, Michael Mulvany's four-year-old was a somewhat unfancied 20-1 chance for the first major handicap of the Irish Flat turf season.
Travelling kindly throughout on testing ground he relishes for jockey Declan McDonogh, it appeared only a matter of time before he hit the front and once doing so, he was not for catching as he scorched to an uncontested length-and-a-half success over Eastwatch.
"In those conditions, he’s a hard horse to beat," said Mulvany.
"This has been the plan since last back-end and the Lincoln was always the goal.
"I’m delighted for the owner. He’s an owner/breeder and this is the first horse he bred so he had to keep him! He’s been lucky for him.
"I won the race before with On The Go Again and we knew this fellow would take a lot of beating.
"We booked Declan McDonogh as Gary Carroll couldn’t do the weight on him. I feel sorry for Wesley Joyce who is the stable jockey, but the owner wanted a senior lad on him so we went with Declan.
"He was travelling all the way and I was just a little worried that he had hit the front a bit early, but we knew he’d get the trip well.
"He’s a grand big horse and that’s what you want for those conditions out there."
He added: "We’ll probably have to go again shortly. I said today we’d see how we were and after that we’ll worry about the next day."
Ruler's Control (15-2) ended Amo Racing’s stranglehold on the opening race of the Irish Flat turf season when just holding on in the Topgear At Capital Stud Irish EBF Maiden.
Kia Joorabchian’s operation have successfully started off subsequent Group One winners in this contest in the past three years and usual order was expected to be continued, as Robson De Aguiar’s Force Noir was sent off the 5-6 favourite in the hands of David Egan.
Force Noir clearly understood his assignment as he made his bid, but the eye was always drawn to Jack Foley’s charge and Luke McAteer who forced himself to the front with a furlong to run and bravely clung on by head when the favourite rallied late.
"It was a good performance. We thought an awful lot of this horse coming here today," said Foley.
"He had worked with a couple of the older ones and he was showing signs that he could be very good. We hadn’t anything able to work with him at home.
"We were hoping he’d improve plenty for whatever he did today but we did think an awful lot of him.
"He got a small bit lonely, he hasn’t been away a whole lot. We were happy coming here anyway.
"Luke gave him a great ride and everything worked out on the day."
Andrew Slattery’s Pollenca (10-1) put herself in the Classic conversation when flying home to down Aidan O’Brien’s evens favourite Signora in the Mental Health Matters Fillies Maiden.
Slattery said: "I expected it to be honest with you. She had a nice run in Dundalk and probably should have won. She ran a bit green.
"We decided to put her away for this race. I would have been disappointed if she was beaten, she’s a nice filly.
"She’ll stay a mile, maybe a mile and a quarter and she was always going to win when she started rallying. I think she’s a nice filly.
"You could say she’d go for a Guineas trial, but I think she’d be better at a mile. That seven furlongs is the least she wants, the ground made the difference there. The owners are sellers so I might not have her too long."
Fresh from success at the Cheltenham Festival, Colin Keane wasted little time getting back to the more familiar territory with victory aboard Breaking Dawn (2-1F).
The six-time Irish champion guided Michael O’Callaghan’s representative to a convincing two-and-a-half-length victory in the Nua CLaD Hub Irish EBF Maiden.
"It’s nice to get the first runner of the new season on the board," said O’Callaghan.
"He’s a horse we liked last year, but he was just a bit weak and immature.
"Colin rode him on all his starts last year and said he felt a much stronger horse. He’s said he ground it out and he could go back up to seven furlongs after today.
"It’s nice to get it out of the way. When it’s a horse that you like, you like to see them step forward.
"It’s a good gauge for where the horses are at. Credit to the team at home, they’ve done a great job over the winter. It’s been a long winter and it’s nice to get the first one."
