COLIN Keane notched up a treble at Naas on Sunday, include two of the day's most valuable contests, extending his lead in the jockeys' championship title race.

He opened with victory on Moonlight Bay (9/2) in the prestigious At The Races Irish EBF Birdcatcher Premier Nursery. The filly, on her first outing for the Ger Lyons stable, beat 11/4 favourite Guessthebill by a neck, taking her record to two wins from three starts.

Pat Smullen won the next race, but then he and Keane fought out the finish to the Listed Clodovil Irish EBF Garnet Stakes over a mile, with Keane and 9/4 favourite Elegant Pose storming home to get the verdict by a short-head from the Dermot Weld-trained Making Light.

Lyons said: "I didn't see that happening in the last furlong. She's some little titch. She's green as grass and never travelled like we thought she would. We thought coming back to the mile would be no problem to her.

"She can only improve for a winter on her back because we've been training her with next year in mind. The sky is the limit and we have a lovely filly on our hands. She's a huge addition to the yard and I'm looking forward to her next year."

Lyons and Keane then brought up the treble when Mustajeer justified 11/4 favouritism in the www.naasracecourse.com Handicap, landing the spoils by three and a quarter lengths from Espoir D'Soleil, the mount of Smullen.

HIGH HOPES

Smullen's win on the card came with Yulong Gold Fairy in the ultra-valuable Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Race Final over seven furlongs, and trainer Dermot Weld has high hopes next season for the impressive six-length winner.

The daughter of Mount Nelson got off the mark at the third time of asking when winning at Galway in August and, today, stayed on strongly through the final furlong to take the €70,800 first prize.

Weld said: "She was impressive. She did it well when she won in Galway for us and this has always been the plan. We'll put her away for the year now and look forward to her being a stakes filly for next year.

"She'll appear in one of the 1,000 Guineas trials next spring. She was coming home very nicely there so it's logical to try her in one of the classic trials next spring."

"She's good. She's pretty adaptable ground wise and is a good moving filly."

LISTED SUCCESS

Red Stars (9/1) ground out a determined victory for John Oxx in the Listed Anjaal Irish EBF Bluebell Stakes.

The finale, over 12 furlongs, proved a real slog and for a long away it looked as though the front-running Tilly's Chilli may hang on under Colm O'Donoghue.

However, Declan McDonough's mount wore down the 20/1 outsider in the closing stages and recorded her first victory of the season by half a length.

Oxx said: "She stays well, she's very honest and she goes on that sort of ground. It was similar when she won at Roscommon last year.

"She had a bit of a break during the summer. She came back and was third at Galway, third at Limerick and better again today.

"The plan was to run her here and then the November Handicap before she retires, but whether she runs in the November Handicap now I'm not so sure.

"She's done well and we can't complain. We might retire her on that note, but I'll see what the owner says. She's a genuine filly and that's what you need today."

READ THE FULL NAAS REPORT IN NEXT WEEKEND'S EDITION OF THE IRISH FIELD