THERE were long faces for favourite-backers after the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes, as Lady Iman surrendered her unbeaten record at the hands of a thoroughly likeable front-running performance from Beautify.

Ger Lyons’ 8/15 market leader travelled all over her rivals - trading as short as 2/17 in the in-running markets - but getting past a tough Ballydoyle filly proved too difficult a task, as the 2/1 winner dug in gamely to draw two lengths clear of her main rival under Ryan Moore.

The Coolmore partners’ daughter of Wootton Bassett had only run once before, finishing third to subsequent Albany Stakes third Balantina here on Guineas weekend, so she was becoming the first maiden to win this race since the same stable’s Clemmie in 2017.

“It was the plan to come here after her maiden run, getting a run into her before coming to this important race for a filly,” said Aidan O’Brien after Beautify was cut to 25/1 (from 40/1) for next year’s 1000 Guineas.

“Ryan gave her a lovely ride and was very impressed with her. He said he’d love to go up to seven furlongs with her; that’s a very good sign when you hear him talking like that. She’s a Moyglare Stud Stakes type of filly who gets six furlongs very strongly.”

In this five-runner affair, there was a positive result for Willie McCreery and the Al Shira’aa Racing team, as their Cork debut third Skydance finished clear of the rest to pick up Group 2 blacktype in third.

On Lady Iman, Lyons added: “Trainer error. It was a proper horse race and the best horse won. The winner looks like she’ll go up in trip, whereas we’ll be coming back [to five furlongs]. Simple as. In defence of the best jockey in Ireland [Colin Keane], he’s been telling me for quite a while that she’s a five-furlong horse, but I just refused to listen!

“She’s a lovely filly and I think the fractions were quick. Take the winner out of it and we got six well. I did float the idea that she might be a Breeders’ Cup filly for later in the year, but that’s obviously a long way down the line.”

’Group horse’ Dorset

The opening seven-furlong maiden was used as the launchpad for City Of Troy to make a winning debut for Ballydoyle in 2023, and the same connections struck here again with the promising Dorset, who Aidan O’Brien described as a group horse after justifying 4/9 favouritism.

After getting away smartly enough into the lead, it proved a fairly comfortable watch for supporters of the Wootton Bassett colt (out of a sister to classic heroine Winter). He bossed proceedings under Ryan Moore, riding for the Coolmore partners, and finished a length and a half in front of useful-looking stablemate Benvenuto Cellini.

O’Brien said of the 33/1 shot for next year’s 2000 Guineas and Derby: “Dorset is a straightforward, lovely horse who came forward from his first run and will get further. They didn’t go very fast today. He’s obviously a group horse and he’ll be very comfortable when he goes up to a mile.

“He could go to the Tyros Stakes at Leopardstown [on July 24th] or the Futurity Stakes back here [on August 23rd].”

GER Lyons and Colin Keane didn’t have to wait long to get over any disappointment from Lady Iman’s defeat in the Airlie Stud Stakes as just 35 minutes later, their quality filly Suzie Songs (SP 7/2) downed 2/9 favourite Flushing Meadows to capture the Group 3 Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes.

The Glenburnie team is making a habit of winning this six-furlong contest - now claiming the spoils in three of the last five years - and their latest heroine showed a fine attitude to get the better of the Ballydoyle-trained favourite, who leaned right towards her path in the closing stages.

Speaking after the Moyglare homebred prevailed by a short-head, Lyons said: “It was a last minute decision to run her, but the beautiful thing about training for Moyglare is that you are allowed to do that and there are no set plans. I’m blessed with owners like that.

“Today’s race wasn’t the plan and she hasn’t worked since Cork. I thought it got to her today, so we’ll give her a wee break and come back for the owners’ race, the Moyglare Stud Stakes. It’s a race I’d love to put on the CV.

“Colin said at Cork that she wanted further and, sticking to the original plan, her next race would have been over seven [furlongs] but this presented itself during the week with small entries, so here we are.”

With just five runners in the field, there was a fine bit of blacktype and prize money nicked by the Jack Davison team with the third Stop The Nation.

Charasson shines

Another promising filly to make a bright impression on the card was the Johnny Feane-trained Charasson, a sister to the same connections’ Rockingham Handicap winner Ano Syra, in the six-furlong Keadeen Hotel Irish EBF Maiden.

Seamie Heffernan always appeared to be confident aboard the Ballyhimikin Stud three-year-old, who was sent off 12/1 (from a morning price of 33/1). The Kodiac filly proved much too good for her rivals and took a nice step forward from her debut sixth on Guineas weekend to win by a comfortable three and a quarter lengths.

Feane said: “She ran a very promising race the first day when she was a bit slow away, but came on oodles and behaved impeccably today. Hopefully she’ll progress and keep up the family tradition. She’s only finding her feet and would have learned a lot today. If she gets more professional, she’ll get better.”

Johnny Murtagh, another locally-based handler, got on the scoresheet for the weekend when Daamberdiplomat thrived in the first-time cheekpieces to land the €26,000 Fitzpatrick’s Mercedes-Benz Handicap over six furlongs.

Winning rider Ben Coen earned plenty of plaudits from the former multiple classic-winning jockey, as the 14/1 shot powered in to the picture close home to beat a running-on Rappell by half a length.

Racing in the sky blue and navy colours of the Whyte Hickey Rafter Kilkenny Syndicate, one of the five-time winner’s owners is Dublin gaelic footballer Ciaran Kilkenny, who was absent from the Curragh to instead play for his county in their All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Quarter Final defeat to Tyrone.

Murtagh said: “This horse has been very consistent all year and I thought he ran well at Fairyhouse last time [when fourth]. Ben rode him well today. I think it was the ride that won the race; he got him in a lovely position. We put the cheekpieces just to give him that extra bit of help.

“He’s very competitive off this mark [87], but when he goes to 93 or 94, has to run five more times to get back to 87. There’s no secret about him, he was on his winning mark and I think the ride won the race. The horses have been running well and it’s nice to get a winner.”

JOSEPH O’Brien suggested the Melbourne Cup will be among the international options open to Trustyourinstinct (4/9 favourite) after J.P. McManus’ reliable middle-distance performer proved a cut above his rivals in the Group 3 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai International Stakes - run in honour of the late Kevin Prendergast this year.

Dropping from a mile and a half down to 10 furlongs from his last win in the Listed Orby Stakes here on Guineas weekend proved no barrier to success for the mount of Dylan Browne McMonagle. In fact, it may have only helped to bring out the best in him, beating a running-on Layfayette by three and a quarter lengths.

“You can set your watch by him - he turns up and runs his race every day,” said O’Brien.

“It wasn’t an easy task today and I actually thought he was impressive. I’d say it’s right up there with him at his very best. He won here the last day, but kind of fought it out and outstayed them. Today, I thought he showed a bit of a turn of foot off the bend and Dylan said he felt really sharp off the bend. It was a smart performance from a horse going the right way.”

On what lies ahead, O’Brien added: “I’m sure he’ll travel in the autumn, whether it be somewhere like Kentucky Downs or Australia - to be honest, a gelding like him has loads of options for good pots. We’ll be looking at all the big-money options in the autumn. I’d say he’s a possible for the Melbourne Cup. He’ll be doing some kind of travelling.”

Strong Gale

There was a double on the card for O’Brien when the well-placed Masoun cut through the pack under impressive visiting rider Elizabeth Gale to land the Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes Ladies’ Derby Handicap.

Go Racing Limited’s last-time-out Leopardstown winner looks a shrewd buy at €105,000 from the Aga Khan Studs/Johnny Murtagh, and defied a 7lb rise to win by a length and three quarters from a keen-running Bear Profit.

It was a fine ride on a first outing in Ireland for British-based Gale, who has made an encouraging transition from National Hunt to flat this season. She was bringing up her fifth winner from 13 rides in the previous fortnight.

O’Brien said: “Elizabeth gave him a lovely ride. He’s a progressive horse who quickened up well. I think he enjoyed having cover and coming through horses. I’m delighted for his owners. Some are here from New Zealand to see him.

“He’s owned by an Australian-based syndicate, who have supported me very well. They have five or six two-year-olds each year who race here for a couple of years, and then usually head on to Chris Waller in Australia. This guy is going to be an exciting horse for the future, here and also in the other hemisphere. We were trying to get him into a Royal Ascot handicap, but unfortunately he just missed out.”