CAPRI gave Aidan O'Brien his 16th victory in the Group 2 Juddmonte Beresford Stakes when leading home a one-two-three for the Ballydoyle trainer at the Curragh.

The Galileo colt had to work in the tough conditions to complete a hat-trick, but he ground it out well to complete a quick pattern-race double for O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore after The Happy Prince in the Group 3 Renaissance Stakes.

Escape Clause and Exemplar took the six-strong field along until the latter went on, but his stablemate Capri soon ranged alongside and the 8-11 shot asserted to score by three-quarters of a length. Yucatan stayed on stoutly to pip Exemplar for third place in what proved an O'Brien stable benefit.

Capri was cut to 10-1 from 16-1 for the Investec Derby with Paddy Power behind his stablemate Churchill, the 6-1 ante-post market leader. RaceBets and Coral went 12-1 from 16-1.

O'Brien said: "I was very impressed with all three colts. They went a nice pace and came up the middle so they had to learn. Capri is a nice moving horse and should prefer better ground. All three should definitely get a mile and a quarter, and if they are good over that they should get a mile and a half. They are all bred for it.

"Ryan was very happy. He kept quickening and was surprised they came with him. Next week could be a bit quick for them to run again, but we certainly will look at the Racing Post Trophy for all three.

"You learn the same as we do when we run them against each other. Sometimes we get surprised and sometimes not."

LISTED HONOURS

Twilight Payment wore down the returning Forgotten Rules close home to take listed honours in the Sycamore Lodge Equine Hospital Loughbrown Stakes at the Curragh. Dermot Weld's Forgotten Rules, having his first race for 344 days, looked like landing the spoils when he hit the front two furlongs out under Pat Smullen.

However, Kevin Manning produced Twilight Payment with a challenge and he knuckled down as the pair fought out a tremendous finish, with the three-year-old, owned by Godolphin, getting up close home to win by half a length. The duo drew four and a half lengths clear of Toe The Line in third.

Jim Bolger, who was completing a double after the victory of Vociferous Marina in the opening maiden, said: "I'm hoping he'll be a Gold Cup horse next year. He was backward and I knew anything he did this year would be a bonus.

"He's in the Prix de Chaudenay at Chantilly but I don't think that he'll be going there. The ground is always a concern until you know whether they handle it or not. I don't know if he will run again this year. We'll see how he comes out of this and discuss it with the owners."

Twilight Payment was slashed to 12-1 from 33-1 with Paddy Power for the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot next month.

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