Last year’s Derby runner-up Cliffs Of Moher rediscovered the winning trail in the Coolmore Camelot Irish EBF Mooresbridge Stakes at Naas on Monday.
Cliffs Of Moher comes with a late surge under Ryan Moore to land the Coolmore Camelot @IrishEBF_ Mooresbridge Stakes at @NaasRacecourse: pic.twitter.com/uu5tWK2XGF
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 7, 2018
Aidan O’Brien’s charge won the Dee Stakes at Chester a year ago, before finding only stablemate Wings Of Eagles too strong at Epsom the following month.
Cliffs Of Moher went on to finish fourth in both the Eclipse and the International, while he finished out of the places in the Irish Champion Stakes, the Champion Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
He was last of five on his return to action in last month’s Alleged Stakes over this course and distance but having blown away the cobwebs, he was the 13/8 favourite for this 10-furlong Group 2.
With another Ballydoyle inmate in Yucatan and Ken Condon’s stable stalwart Success Days slugging it out in front, Ryan Moore played his cards late aboard Cliffs Of Moher, swooping in the last 100 yards to get up and score by a length and three-quarters.
Success Days ran a fine race to finish second, just over three weeks after finishing last of 10 runners behind the mighty mare Winx in Australia.
O’Brien said: “He relaxed lovely and came home well.
“He has an option of either the Coronation Cup (Epsom) or the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Curragh).
“He’s a good horse and was just beaten in an Epsom Derby.”
O'Brien and Moore were completing a treble on the day, having won both the opening two-year-olds maidens with the filly Fairyland and the colt Van Beethoven.
A potential star - Fairyland, a 925,000gns filly from the family of Dream Ahead makes a big impression on debut for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore at @NaasRacecourse: pic.twitter.com/PwPmDhCfHP
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 7, 2018
Royal @Ascot bound? Scat Daddy colt Van Beethoven sheds his maiden tag in style for Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien at @NaasRacecourse: pic.twitter.com/9pFvQGKfBD
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 7, 2018
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