LUMIERE Rock (6/1) gained a deserved win when staying on strongly to take the Group 2 Moyglare “Jewels” Blandford Stakes for Dylan Browne McMonagle and Joseph O’Brien.

The Michael O’Flynn-owned filly had five seconds from nine career starts going into this contest, and she was just a head away from securing a Group 2 in Deauville on her previous run.

In first-time cheekpieces, she raced close to what looked a solid pace set by Red Riding Hood, and when asked to go and win her race in the straight, she did so emphatically, opening up an unassailable lead after the two-furlong marker. Favourite Jackie Oh got going late for second, but she was three lengths adrift at the line.

“She really did deserve her win at Group 2 level and she won today like a filly that will hold her own at Group 1 level as she gets older,” O’Brien said. “She has two obvious targets, one on Arc day and the fillies’ race in Ascot on British Champions Day. We’ll see how she pulls up and she will tell us. She is an exciting filly and she will hold her own in either of those races.”

This filly looks a fair bargain at 55,000 guineas now. The owner’s colours are more identifiable by some of the classy jumpers he has owned down the years but he is having more involvement in the flat now.

All the talk going into the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF ‘Bold Lad’ Sprint Handicap was for the British-trained contingent, with all four raiders taking up the first four positions in the market, but for second time in three years, it was Charles O’Brien’s Big Gossey (16/1) who emerged best.

The six-year-old was drawn 23 so raced on the stands’ side for Robert Whearty. With the field mostly staying centre, he had plenty of room to come through and once he got the revs, he was an authoritative winner, coming a length and a quarter clear of Never Shout Never, who had struck the front earlier.

The Allegro Syndicate-owned gelding is a Curragh specialist, all four of his wins have come at the track, and he was providing his 19-year-old jockey with his biggest win yet.

The Meath rider reflected: “It’s brilliant to even been riding at the Irish Champions Festival, never mind having a winner.

“It was a deadly performance. I was probably a bit unlucky the last day, he went up in the gates and I missed the break, and I had a bit of ground to make up and used him up at the wrong time (third to Jon Riggens).

“I had a lovely position today and he travelled in lovely. He had that bit of luck but once he got going, he stayed going.”

IT was a case of the london buses for Colin Keane at the Irish Champions Festival, you wait a long time for one and then two came back to back. The Meath rider rode winners in the final two races of the meeting, on the Richard Fahey-trained Native American (4/5 favourite) in the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes and then on his father Gerry’s Crystal Black (5/1 joint favourite) in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF ‘Northfields’ Handicap.

For obvious reasons, the latter-mentioned success was a little bit more special, and not for the first time after this particular race, there were joyous scenes in the winner’s enclosure.

Crystal Black, owned by the Wear A Pink Ribbon Syndicate, has really hit his stride at the age of five. He was a good winner over a mile here earlier last month before flying home to finish third in the Irish Cambridgeshire. He had actually finished third to Max Mayhem in this race as a three-year-old but this was just his second start over the 10-furlong trip since.

He was held up by Keane, before making stealthy headway on the outside of runners in the straight. Kingswood hit the front going well at the two-furlong marker but Crystal Black’s challenge only got stronger and he was a good winner at the line.

“It looked like he came to win the Cambridgeshire and it just didn’t work out,” said the winning trainer, who was scoring his most valuable prize. “It looked a more competitive race today, but Colin rode him a bit further back.

“He is really coming to hand so I don’t know what we’ll do now, whether we’ll give him a break or he could go for a race in Navan. We’ll see what way he goes in the ratings. We probably won’t go hurdling now! We were thinking about schooling during the winter.”

For the seventh time in eight years, the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale Stakes went to Britain as Richard Fahey’s Native American won in fine style under Keane.

The son of Sioux Nation was impressive on his sole start at York’s Ebor meeting, coming all of five and a half lengths clear of his nearest rival, and the feeling was that he could just outclass this field. He did exactly that, burning off his main market rival Nikki Swango just inside the two-furlong pole and maintaining a comfortable advantage over the late closers which were headed by Mercian Warrior.

“I’d say he is a horse who is going to keep on improving with time and racing,” the winning rider reflected. “I travelled there nicely, got there well and then was a bit workmanlike but I’d say he was bone idle.”

1. Eldar can confirm form

THE narrative going into the Irish St Leger revolved around Kyprios with Aidan O’Brien going all out to stress just how big a deal it was that last year’s superstar stayer was even back running again. That led many to believe that an underperformance was likely but the betting narrative provided a completely different story as the five-year-old was sent off 4/6. Clearly a few people felt he was ready enough to do himself justice.

He had no answer to Eldar Eldarov once last year’s St Leger winner hit the front and while you have to take into account that he will come on plenty for that run, it’s no done deal he confirms the form with Roger Varian’s horse if the pair meet again on British Champions Day.

Eldar Eldarov is clearly a talented stayer on his day, and I’d back him to kick on again now as opposed to Kyprios, whose physical fitness is still under question with the bounce factor likely to be mentioned next time he runs.

2. Lumiere looks really smart

LUMIERE Rock was a likeable filly prior to Sunday. Likeable via her consistency and attitude, but you’d have been forgiven for thinking is she actually a top class filly - Group 2 or Group 1 standard filly. With first-time cheekpieces applied, she went some way to disproving that notion with a powerful performance in the Blandford Stakes.

More impressive was the fact Joseph O’Brien’s filly had the late speed to take full advantage of her prominent position, with only Jackie Oh finishing out her final three furlongs faster, in what was a steady to evenly run race. Given Lumiere Rock has proven stamina for a mile and a half, this was another string to her bow and she could do better still with more of an emphasis on stamina at this trip, which could come in the Prix de l’Opera, an obvious target for her all being well.

3. Buzz back at the Curragh

It has been a largely positive season for the Curragh, with plenty of good weather likely helpful in drawing crowds in for the bigger days. That hasn’t always been the case since the revamp and for an hour before racing on Sunday, officials must have been worried as the heavens opened right at a time when the should-I-stay-or-should-I-go decisions get made.

But the attendance figure was positive and on the ground, you could certainly feel a good buzz about the place.

Undoubtedly, the course has top class facilities and with top class racing, it should be an absolute winner in the most racing dense county in Ireland. Sunday was a good day for all concerned.