Noel Meade looks to have a classic contender on his hands in the shape of Caught U Looking who enhanced her profile significantly with a hard fought Group 3 success in the Weld Park Stakes.

Sat in behind the leaders, the Harzand filly made her challenge towards the outside of Satki and Brilliant, and really put her head down for Ben Coen to get the better of the former inside the final half furlong.

It was a very likeable performance from the Tony O’Callaghan and Sabina Kelly-owned filly, who could take her decorated trainer to the very top as a classic contender next season.

“Despite all the horses he already has, Tony wasn’t for selling her after Leoaprdstown and said he wanted to roll the dice,” Meade said. “Peter (Kelly) bred her and owns her as well, and fair play to him, he was up for that too. There is always a bit of extra pressure but she’s a good filly and she will improve.

“She needed every yard but we knew that. We thought with the ground the way it was, it would suit her more than most. Ben said she was green as well, leaning into the other runners late on, and he said she’ll come on a ton. We’ll put her away now I’d imagine. She could be a middle distance filly next year. You’d hope she could get right to the top.”

Renaissance

Ado McGuinness was rueing his luck when he took Go Athletico out of the Flying Five at the five-day stage, only for a downpour to hit the Curragh that weekend, which resulted in unforeseen soft ground. The Team Valor-owned sprinter gained some compensation in the Group 3 Westgrove Hotel Renaissance Stakes.

Held up, Ronan Whelan was able to bring him through to challenge one off the rail when the leader Twilight Jet faded out of contention, and the pair looked set to win well, only for Bold Lad winner Big Gossey to really make them pull out the stops. There was a half length between them at the line and five and a half lengths back to the remainder.

“One of the reasons we ran today was because it was giving a dry week over in Paris so we wanted to get his ground,” McGuinness said. “We still might run in the Abbaye, I’ll speak to Barry (Irwin, racing manager).

“He’s been a great horse for me, he hit the ground running when he came and he’s very consistent. I’m privileged to have him and he wasn’t a very expensive horse as it goes when we got him at the horses in training sales.

“It was unfortunate how things went for the Flying Five, because there isn’t much between him and Ken’s horse (Moss Tucker) all year and if Ken’s horse is fancied for the Abbaye, he won’t be far away from him.”