Long Island Sound battled hard to land the odds in the Group 3 Paddy Power Diamond Stakes at Dundalk on Friday evening.

Aidan O'Brien's 4/5 favourite, who had performed with plenty of credit in America on his previous couple of outings, dictated terms to suit himself but was pressed early in the straight by Qatari Hunter, with Battalion also looming large.

Long island Sound drifted to the centre of the track and was headed but he responded to all of Seamie Heffernan's urgings to deny Battalion by a neck.

Heffernan said: "He just took a blow at the wrong time and went for his wind. I was lucky enough the winning post was a bit further down and we got there. When he filled himself back up, he won well. I was third at one stage but once he got his second wind he was away again. I would have preferred a lead but Aidan's are tough. I wasn't sure there was going to be enough pace so I took a gamble. He's a fair horse."

Heffernan also won the six-furlong Paddy Power Race on Don't Bother Me. Hot favourite was Moviesta on the back of his course and distance defeat of The Happy Prince but, having raced towards the rear, he couldn't make any inroads in the straight and managed to beat just one rival home.

Ger Lyons introduced a promising youngster in the auction maiden in the shape of Glastonbury Song. The word was out about the son of Casamento and he was sent off the 4/6 favourite. He didn't disappoint and, although still a bit green, beat Chelsea Corsage by two and a quarter lengths without having to exert too much energy.

Lyons said: "He's a lovely horse. Mentally he's very, very immature. It's been one step forward, two back with him all year. He's a horse for next year and we'll put him away now. He's a horse we think a lot of. He's done that well. He was as green as grass, walked out of the stalls, and had to be good to win the way he did."

Lyons and jockey Colin Keane were also on the mark in the fillies' maiden courtesy of 14/1 shot Melisandre.

Course specialist Shake The Bucket registered the 13th win of his career and his eighth at Dundalk when landing the 12-furlong handicap for the Madden family.

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