THE John Quinn-trained Liberty Beach justified favouritism with a convincing success in the Group 3 Markel Insurance Molecomb Stakes.

Ridden by Jason Hart to track the front-running Maven, she found herself short of room as Maven weakened, Wes Ward’s colt seeming not to handle the downhill track, and for a while it looked like she would struggle to get a run.

Eventually, Hart found a gap between Theresa Marnane’s pair Fan Club Rules and Wheels On Fire, and the Cable Bay filly scooted clear in the style of a smart one, with Joseph O’Brien’s Alligator Alley keeping on best for second under brother Donnacha.

The slow-starting Show Me Show Me (Richard Fahey/Paddy Mathers) finished fastest to deny Fan Club Rules (Matthieu Palussiere/Luke Morris) third by a whisker, with the trainer’s other runner another short-head away in fifth.

Quinn, who moved to his adopted Yorkshire to join Jimmy Fitzgerald as a conditional in the 1980s, has won the Prix Morny with The Wow Signal, and went close last year with Signora Cabello. He nominated the Deauville contest as Liberty Beach’s next target, and having seen a couple of his best juveniles fail to train on in the past, Quinn was talking an aggressive campaign with his precocious filly who has now won four of her five races.

“I put her in the Prix Morny this morning as I felt she was good enough to go for that race, but she had to prove it this afternoon. I think we will also target the Prix de l’Abbaye and then the Breeders’ Cup. She has a lot of tactical speed and America could suit her – that is my plan. I have been training for a long time and you just need to keep kicking with these fillies and don’t worry too much about next year.”

Jason Hart explained how the race panned out: “I had planned to follow Frankie and thought he would have taken me a bit further, but I got dragged out of the race a tiny bit and had to make my move sooner than ideal.

“She is just one of those unassuming fillies and she only really comes alive once the gates open.

“Ascot was frustrating because we were drawn on the wrong side, so to come here today and win a Group 3 for her owner, who also bred her, is very nice.”

Clear run

Donnacha O’Brien, who had to snatch up on Alligator Alley, felt he would have won with a clear run, but while that interference cost him more than he was beaten, the winner was equally compromised.

Brocklesby winner Show Me Show Me is crying out for a return to six furlongs having gone close in the Super Sprint at Newbury, and it was more than just a slow start which saw him detached at half-way. He’s related to the same connections’ Toocoolforschool, who won the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes as a juvenile, and it won’t be a big surprise to see him aimed at that prize, and typical autumn ground ought to suit him.

There was a double on the card for Mark Johnson when Sir Ron Priestley (6/1) took the Unibet Handicap after a good duel with Durston. Aidan O’Brien’s Eminence finished third. Johnston went on to double up in the EBF Alice Keppel EBF Fillies’ Conditions Stakes over five furlongs with Mrs Bouquet (3/1).

Sir Mark Prescott’s string are back in form and he took the opening handicap with Timoshenko, under a strong Luke Morris drive. Tony Mullins’ Party Playboy briefly looked like taking a hand in the finish but was overhauled late home to finish fifth.

Elliott double

GORDON Elliott may have had his eyes on the big Galway prize on Wednesday, but the stable always has one eye on opportunities at Perth and he saddled two winners there earlier in the day.

Teaming up as usual with Richard Johnson, Braid Blue (5/4) took the opening three-mile novices’ hurdle in easy fashion from the favourite Indian Temple. The two-and-a-half-mile handicap chase went to Creadan Grae (3/1) who led for most of the second circuit and ran on to score by over two and three-quarter lengths.