Trustyourinstinct could have the Melbourne Cup in his sights after rattling home late to land the 1xBet.ie Proud Supporters Of Irish Racing Curragh Cup on Sunday under Declan McDonagh.

The six-year-old provided in-form Joseph O’Brien with a second super-sub winner of the weekend following victory in the Irish Oaks with second-string Johanna Walsh after Thundering On’s withdrawal.

Despite being the second best of O’Brien’s three runners in the betting behind market leader Al Riffa, he came home fast and late under McDonagh to land the prize at odds of 13/2, three-quarters of a length in front of 25/1 shot Happy Pharoah.

The winner carries the colours of owner J.P. McManus, who was at Croke Park on Sunday to see his beloved Limerick hurlers win yet another All-Ireland Hurling Final.

“He always runs well here at the Curragh. Stepping up in trip today, I think the race set up pretty well for him,” said O’Brien.

“He’s a good horse. We were pretty happy with the trip to be honest. I think Declan quietly fancied him. He’s ran great all year and like I say, particularly here. He’s at his best here. He’s a great servant.

“I think he’ll be coming back for every Group race at the Curragh that he can run in, the Leger being one of them probably.

“Potentially he could go to the Melbourne Cup. It’ll be an option for him for sure.”

If Trustyourinstinct does make it to Flemington for the race that stops a nation on the first Tuesday in November he will be bidding to give O’Brien a third win in the race having sent Rekindling in 2017 and Twilight Payment in 2020 to land the prize.

O’Brien added of last year’s winner and the beaten odds-on favourite Al Riffa: “He ran a good race, it was a bit messy down the inside and he never really got rocking.”

McDonagh said of Trustyourinstinct: “I think that’s the third or fourth time I’ve won on him and I was just saying to Frank (Berry, racing manager) that is the first time he’s had his ground, he’d gallop down the road if you asked him too.

“Dropping him out was important to get him to relax early. The tempo was lovely for the first three furlongs then they just pulled it up in front and once they started doing that I knew I was in business because he has a great kick.

“He’s a right horse, he’s enjoying it now and has options, maybe an Irish Leger or something.”

Power Blue back to best

Power Blue dropped down in trip and returned to winning ways to deny course specialist Big Gossey a first Group-race win in the Glenroyal Hotel And Shoda Cafe Minstrel Stakes.

Charles O’Brien’s Big Gossey had won at the track an incredible 10 times but has not managed to win above Listed level.

This looked a good opportunity in a relatively small field but in Power Blue he was up against a Group 1-winning juvenile and that class told.

Having been up against the likes of Bow Echo and Gstaad so far this season, Robson De Aguiar’s charge was the clear form pick and so it proved, looming alongside Audience a furlong out before kicking clear.

To his credit, Big Gossey stayed on from the rear to get within a length and a half of the 11-10 favourite, who was ridden by Rossa Ryan, but his wait for a first Group-race win goes on.

“He has been running in tough races like the Guineas. He’s been to Ascot. He’s such a nice horse. He always runs well,” said De Aguiar.

“We think he’ll go to York now in the Group 1 (City of York Stakes). The race for him is over seven furlongs again.

“The first time he’s met older company and he’s done well. It’s such a pleasure to train a horse like him. He puts his head down and does the maximum he can for you.

“I’d say he is versatile with trip. He can go six, seven or a mile. It depends on the races. He had been running against the best three-year-olds in Europe and he did well.

“I think he deserved the win today and that will get his confidence back. He will stay over seven-furlongs at York. That could be a fast seven-furlongs and it should help him. He can make the running or he can sit in behind. He’s a horse that’s always off the bridle but he keeps finding all the time you ask him.”

De Aguiar and Ryan had already been on the scoresheet with surprise 50-1 winner Shi Yang in the 1xBet.ie Supporting Irish Sport Irish EBF Fillies Maiden.

“She’s improving. She was a little bit timid the first two runs and five furlongs was a little bit short,” said De Aguiar.

“Today, seven furlongs, she’s more experienced and she’s galloped in front. She took the lead and kept on to the line. I’d say seven-furlongs around a bend would help her as well. I think if she improves again she should be able to get her black type.”

Joseph O’Brien said it will be a case of “small steps” rather than ambitious targets after a promising winning debut from Star Performer in the Cavalor Equine Nutrition Irish EBF Fillies Maiden.

A day after Johanna Walsh spreadeagled the field in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks under Dylan Browne McMonagle, the unraced daughter of Sea The Stars was threaded through traffic by the same rider to win by two lengths going away.

For all the undoubted promise of this debut victory at 7-2, in-form trainer O’Brien insisted they would keep her sights low for the time being.

“She did a satisfactory trial last month and we thought she’d run a nice race here on debut,” he said. “It probably set up well for her. The thought would be that we’d go for probably smaller steps for now, rather than aggressive steps.

“She’s a daughter of Sea The Stars and you’d have to like the way she won today.”

O’Brien, who won the feature race of the day when Trustyourinstinct impressed in the Curragh Cup, was also on the mark with Kirkland Sioux (5-1) in the Racing World 50th Anniversary Irish EBF Fillies Handicap.

“She’s progressing and gets the mile well,” said O’Brien. “I’m very happy to win another one with her. How deep the race was it’s hard to know but she had a nice light weight on her back. There might be something for her in Galway.”

Jockey Colin Keane and trainer Ger Lyons were on the mark in the opening 1xBet.ie Proud Partners Of Irish Sport Irish EBF Maiden when 10-1 shot La Tache delivered at the third time of asking.

“He is slow out of the gates and Colin said he is never going to be any other way. That’s who he is,” said the winning trainer. “But he is another sprinter to look forward to. It’s just taken a while for the penny to drop with him.”

Keane then doubled up himself on Paul Flynn’s I Ready (5-1) in the James Nolan Bar Kildare Nursery Handicap.

“He’s a horse that we thought might win an auction maiden. We probably got quite a bit of a high mark for trying to have a go at a few of them. The last day he was coming back off a break and I’d say he just came on from that,” said Flynn.

The closing Final Furlong Podcast With 1xBet.ie Irish EBF Maiden went to Jack Foley’s Tokyo Tower (6-1), ridden by Billy lee.