IT was a decidedly quiet weekend at the Curragh for Ballydoyle with only two very minor wins when they would probably have expected five or six. That said, the weekend was not a total loss and there was a very promising maiden winner in the shape of Iberia (90p).

It’s well-known that O’Brien allows his horses to come on for the run so a first-time-out winner is always worth noting. From a betting perspective, Ballydoyle’s dominance runs so deep that, as well known a fact as their improvement for a run is, most of their first time out charges still go off a prohibitive price. Despite being the stable first string with Ryan Moore aboard, however, Iberia remained a backable price all day suggesting plenty of improvement was expected.