ALMELA produced a dominant display to take listed honours in the Ardilaun Hotel Oyster Stakes at Galway.

Dermot Weld's filly had to settle for second in the mile-and-a-half event 12 months ago to stablemate Zhukova when the even-money favourite, but there was never much chance of a similar outcome on this occasion.

Sent off the 8-11 market leader, Pat Smullen's mount moved up ominously to take closer order rounding the home turn and soon strode readily clear, eventually beating the staying-on Morga by four and three-quarter lengths.

Smullen said: "It was a horrible race to ride in; it was stop-start and there was no rhythm to it, but she is a filly that gets further than this trip and it forced my hand to commit a bit sooner than ideal. She was different class to those and she can now go up in trip and up in grade and hopefully can keep progressing."

He added: "The form of the race from last year is strong and if Zhukova gets an ease in the ground, she could run in the mile-and-a-half race (Enterprise Stakes) at Leopardstown at the weekend."

Exemplar gave Aidan O'Brien his fifth win in Galway's Donnelly's Of Barna EBF Maiden since 2011.

Sent off the 8-13 favourite on the back of a Curragh debut second, the son of Galileo travelled in fourth before Seamie Heffernan urged him to take closer order on the turn. He knuckled down well and the further he went the better went, with the winning margin five lengths over Itsalonglongroad at the line.

Heffernan said: "He had a very good run at the Curragh but he is a bit lazy and is still learning. He won easily and feels like he could have a bit of class."

Teo's Sister was pitched into Group 3 company on her debut and while her limitations were exposed there, better was expected in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Fillies Maiden.

However, she was never a factor and trailed home in rear as the Willie McCreery-trained Perle De La Mer impressed on her debut, beating Stormy Belle by six and a half lengths at odds of 7-2.

McCreery said: "It was a professional performance for a filly first time out and she was very good in the stalls with all the commotion all around. She did it well and came up the hill. In her work she has always been like that - she grinds it out rather than quickens and is very honest.

"We'll see how she comes out of this but she went on that easy ground and it gives us options now - if we could get black type, she would be worth a lot more."

Galway specialist Cairduil came with a wet sail in the dying strides of the Galway Bay Golf Resort Handicap but he couldn't quite reel in Honor Oak (14-1), who held on by a head.

Secret Wizard (8-1) went into the James P. Cunningham Electrical Handicap as a nine-race maiden but benefited from Gary Carroll's positive tactics to beat Fair Game by a length and three-quarters.

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