SOME 15 years after winning the race with Victram, Adrian McGuinness struck gold in the Paddy Power Irish Lincoln once more as Bowerman looked the proverbial group horse in a handicap.

A 52,000gns purchase last July, the six-year-old really started to come into his own in the winter when he notched up a couple of taking victories at Dundalk before finishing second in a listed race in France.

A canny McGuinness then decided to take advantage of a turf mark which was some 6lb lower than the one he holds on the polytrack and the trainer was rewarded with another premier handicap to add to his growing haul in this sphere.

At various points over the last half mile, the eye was drawn to various McGuinness participants. Current Option showed up well before his stamina ebbed away over a mile and Saltonstall then launched a powerful charge on the outer.

However, when Bowerman and Ronan Whelan got into the clear on the inner this race was all over and the 5/1 chance powered clear to defeat the 66/1 shot Colfer Me by two and a half lengths. The 40/1 top-weight Broad Street was third with Saltonstall fourth.

“I’d say that’s the end of his days in handicaps but he is a high-class horse and he’ll move into listed and group races now,” said McGuinness who trains the gelding for his long-standing owners, the Total Recall Racing Club.

“The plan originally this season was the Royal Hunt Cup but I’ll happily settle for this and he might come back here on Derby weekend for the Alleged Stakes.”

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His three-year-old campaign suggested he was a horse with stakes race potential but Leo De Fury’s first start at four indicated that he has moved on to entirely different level in 2020 as he ran out a hugely impressive winner of the Magna Grecia Irish EBF Mooresbridge Stakes.

Yet another winner for the Jessica Harrington, Shane Foley and Zhang Yuesheng axis, Leo De Fury (6/1) faced quite a test against a field headed by two classic winners in Search For A Song and Latrobe as well as Group 1 regular Fleeting.

Ultimately though the son of Australia turned this into an utterly one-sided affair as he swept through from last to strike the front well over a furlong from home and went on to defeat Fleeting by three lengths.

Search For A Song, who went off the 2/1 favourite on her first start since winning the Irish St Leger, faded quickly after being headed two furlongs out and finished a well-held sixth.

“He was a horse we thought a lot of last year and he looked a proper horse there,” remarked the trainer’s daughter Kate. “He’s wintered very well and really developed and I’d say we will aim towards the Tattersalls Gold Cup and we will give him some time between his races.”