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Hot favourite My Titania was made to pull out the stops as she claimed Group Three honours in the CL Weld Park Stakes at the Curragh.
A daughter of the amazing Sea The Stars and carrying the same colours of owner Christopher Tsui, My Titania built on a promising Leopardstown debut to score at the second time of asking at the same venue and was sent off the 11-10 market leader this time on her step up to Pattern class.
The John Oxx-trained youngster moved towards the front end stylishly in the hands of Declan McDonogh and looked likely to go on and register a comfortable victory, but Chicago Girl and Johnny Murtagh came out of the pack to challenge and My Titania was hard pressed to cling on by half a length, with the rest well beaten.
Oxx said: "She's a very nice filly and we've high hopes for her. She's by Sea The Stars and she's his first Group winner. It's very nice he's had his first Group winner in those colours and that we have such a nice filly for the future.
"We were pretty hopeful. She's a very consistent worker, always works well and shows plenty of ability. She has plenty of speed, travels well through her races and has a good turn of foot. She's got a bit of her sire's inclination to doss a bit when she hits the front, she idles a bit there. She probably needs to come a bit later.
"She won't run any more this year. She's had three runs now and she's pretty sharp in her mind and very alert. The ground is critical for her. She has to have fast ground and she'd be impeded by it if it's any slower than good.
"If all goes well through the winter and the spring, we'll probably enter her in the Guineas and in the Oaks at Epsom. She has prospects and she has a chance of being a good filly."
Paul Deegan's Shining Emerald turned in a brilliant display to overcome odds-on favourite Guerre in the Listed Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital Blenheim Stakes.
A 16-length winner in heavy ground at Listowel earlier this month, the juvenile was a 7-2 shot for his latest assignment and quickened up smartly from the rear to shoot past Guerre in the final furlong and score by a comfortable three lengths in the hands of Chris Hayes.
Deegan said: "I'm absolutely delighted with him. He quickened well and put it to bed well. He's smart. I was concerned about the ground, but it's nice he showed he can change gear very effectively on nice, good ground. He's exciting and he's not done with for the year yet. Hopefully he will go now for the Killavullan Stakes (Leopardstown, October 26)."
Dermot Weld's Tested made a most impressive start to her career with a debut victory in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden.
Carrying the familiar silks of Khalid Abdullah, the 5-1 shot travelled powerfully during a rough race before being asked to go about her business by Pat Smullen. The response was emphatic as Tested quickly surged past Sparrow and put daylight between herself and her rivals, coming home with a length and three-quarters in hand.
Weld said: "She's definitely a stakes filly. It was a bit rough early on and she got buffeted about a bit, but Pat took his time and got her balanced. She's still very babyish. I'll speak with Lord Grimthorpe (Khalid Abdullah's racing manager ), but I doubt I'll run her again this year, because unquestionably she's a Group-class filly for next year."