PAT Smullen rode a brace at Naas but Colin Keane still has a four-winner gap out in front in the race to be crowned champion jockey.

Keane enjoyed a victory himself as Who's Steph stepped forward considerably from her introduction to run out an impressive winner of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden.

Market leader Minnie Haha hit the front inside the final quarter-mile but Ger Lyons' Who's Steph (2/1), who was behind Minnie Haha at Leopardstown on Irish Champions Weekend, ran her down and scored going away by three lengths.

Shane Lyons, representing his brother, said: "Lovely filly but she's clueless and very green. She did improve for her run in a lovely maiden at Leopardstown but it was only the last 100 yards there that she put her head down and settled it fairly quick.

"She'll get a mile and two next year no problem. We have her in the listed race at Navan on Sunday (Staffordstown Stud Stakes). We'll just see how she comes out of the race and it could be an option, or we could wait and let her grow up over the winter and try and get blacktype next year.

"She is a filly we like and she has been going the right way since her first run. She will improve a lot again from that."

DOUBLE

Smullen registered a welcome winner in his bid for another championship when Aurora Eclipse confirmed the promise of her debut second by going one better in the Naas Racecourse Maiden.

Michael O'Callaghan's filly attracted plenty of market support throughout the day and showed good speed to beat Gottardo by a length and three-quarters as the 15/8 favourite.

Smullen said: "She just got beat by a better one at Fairyhouse, but I thought with normal improvement from the run that she would be hard to beat.

"Coming back to five furlongs was never going to be a problem as she's naturally quick, but equally she got to the line real strong so it opens up more doors for her next year.

"She will go six furlongs, and the little ease in the ground helped her. I would have been disappointed if she got beat.

"When she met the rising ground she really dug deep, and whatever she does for the rest of the year will be a bonus and she will be a lovely filly for next year."

Smullen completed a double when London Icon landed the odds in impressive fashion in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden, moving him on to 76 winners for the season. Keane has 80.

Adrian Keatley's son of Elzaam was third on his debut in a Curragh maiden that is working out well so it was no surprise that he was sent off the 9/10 favourite.

Pat Smullen was allowed to dictate terms to suit himself and kept plenty of petrol in the tank for the business end, with London Icon putting the race to bed halfway down the straight before crossing the line with three and a quarter lengths in hand of Night Of Power.

GROUP ENTRY

Keatley said: "He's a fair horse and we think a lot of him, and have done since the spring. Thank God he's repaying the faith we've had in him from day one.

"Whether he runs again this year I don't know. There is a Group 3 at Leopardstown (Killavullan Stakes).

"Pat thought he'd be better on a bit of nicer ground, and felt he didn't get to hit top gear with him there today on that ground.

"He'll definitely make the winter a bit shorter. We have been patient all the way through as he's a big, scopey horse and we weren't going to be rushing him anyhow."

The Johnny Murtagh-trained Mister Magic (7/1) arrived at the Panoramic Restaurant At Naas Claiming Race with a rating of just 54 but took a step forward to beat Moltoir by three-quarters of a length.

Murtagh then went on to complete a double courtesy of Yolo Star in the Book Hospitality Online Nursery Handicap. The 6/1 chance was always prominent in the hands of Niall McCullagh and kept going well to account for Stewardess by a couple of lengths.

Murtagh said: "I thought I had two chances coming here and I'm very happy to be going home with two winners.

"I'm very happy with the way the season is going. It's very consistent and we are not just having a bunch of winners and then stopping. There has been a constant flow from the start of the year, and it's all down to good staff and good riders."

Jim Bolger's decision to put cheekpieces on Scoil Naisiunta (13/2) worked the oracle in the naasracecourse.com Nursery Handicap as she stormed four and a half lengths clear in the hands of Kevin Manning.

Flag Of Honour was an impressive winner of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.

Like so many from the Ballydoyle stable, the Galileo colt stepped forward from his introduction and beat Jewel Maker by four and a half lengths as the 4/6 favourite.

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