THERE was a mini upset in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Noblesse Stakes with Moracana (22/1) thundering home down outside under well timed run from Robbie Colgan to get the better of Irish Lullaby, much to the delight of her trainer/breeder Sheila Lavery.

The Sue Chadwick-owned daughter of Elzaam won the Petingo Handicap on Irish Champions Weekend last season but had disappointed on both of her two starts in listed company at Naas. However her trainer admitted afterwards that she got it wrong with the filly’s preference for soft or heavy ground, and she resumed her progression here in no uncertain terms.

“Robbie said she was so relaxed and knew, when he pulled her out, that he would get there, but it was a class ride,” the Meath-based trainer said. “I had the grandmother, her mother and bred her so and it is great for a filly to get blacktype - it is what you want. I sold her to Sue after her run at Navan.

“When she won on Irish Champions Weekend last season we thought she wanted soft and we were really looking forward to her running at Naas, but how wrong did I get that? She hated the ground.

“She will stick to good ground now and I’ll take baby steps. She is so relaxed she could stay further and I’ll sit down and have a proper look at her upcoming races now.”

The favourite Ottilien, on her first start for Joseph O’Brien, was all the rage in the betting but raced keenly in front and dropped out tamely in the straight.

Fine run

The concluding 10-furlong handicap looked a decent contest and it went to Mashhoor, who continued a fine run of form for the Johnny Murtagh team.

Ben Coen settled the Brunabonne Syndicate-owned gelding in third behind Timeless Soul, who built up a sizeable advantage at the halfway stage. Hugh Horgan looked like he might have stolen it on Joseph O’Brien’s filly in the straight, but Mashhoor came with a sustained challenge, in turn holding off the effort of Timourid who had raced close to him for much of the contest.

The Kingman gelding was an impressive winner of a 10-furlong handicap on Irish Guineas weekend last season, and that could be a target for him again, for all that handicaps could be out for him now given he was winning here off a mark of 96.

ALDER (5/2) was last seen finishing third to Auguste Rodin in the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes, and he got his three-year-old season off to a most promising start with a smart performance to take a 10-furlong conditions contest.

Travelling in fourth throughout, Gavin Ryan always looked confident on the Donnacha O’Brien-trained colt in the straight, and once pulled to the outside, the pair came with a well-timed run to comfortably get the better of Bertinelli.

It was a nice ride and a smart performance, and it will be a Derby trial next for the Annemarie O’Brien/Coolmore-owned son of Australia.

“We always thought he was a smart horse. He had good form behind Auguste Rodin and has done very well over the winter,” said the winning trainer. “It was nice to get him started and he has a big engine.

“He is one to look forward to and whether he knows enough for Epsom (the Derby) I don’t know but we’ll have a think about it.

“He is still raw and was hanging at the start of the straight so whether we go to Epsom or the Curragh, I’m not sure. We’ll have a look at a trial and then on to a Derby.”

Another three-year-old to note is Kingswood (5/1), who picked up best to take a 10-furlong maiden for Ronan Whelan and John O’Donoghue.

They went steady here so there looked to be plenty going well coming into the straight and it may well be notable that the front three, made up of Intellotto and favourite Nation’s Call, came five lengths clear of the remainder. Kingswood raced twice last season, improving from his debut to finish second to Covent Garden at Tipperary. He has clearly progressed again from two to three and he has some high profile entries.

“Today was the plan for a long time and roll on the summer,” O’Donoghue said.

“I was afraid of Mr Weld’s horse (Nation’s Call) but quietly confident and saw him coming in in the betting, which I anticipated, and it is plan executed.

“I’d imagine he’ll run in a Derby Trial. He is in the Irish Derby and I put him in the Grand Prix de Paris. I think he will be better with some cushion under him.”

THE opening one-mile three-year-old maiden should produce plenty of future winners but it was Joe Murphy’s Mr Lincoln (40/1) who did it here and now, sweeping home late to get the better of The First And Last.

The Crampscastle Bloodstock-owned colt raced keenly early on and given his physique, he has plenty of scope to improve now. His trainer is very keen on him.

“We named him after Abraham Lincoln who was a tall man and we thought it would be a nice name for a big horse,” Murphy said of the son of Dark Angel.

“We’ll mind him and I think he has filling out to do - what will he be like in another six months? He is a good horse and I love him. He was in the Irish Derby and I’m sorry I took him out of it now.

“We’ll aim for the Gallinule now - I think he’ll love another furlong or two.”

The Captain Ruben Ocana Memorial Handicap, a 47-65 one-mile handicap, went to Miss Cunning (12/1), who was given a fine front-running ride by Jessica O’Gorman.

Trained and owned by Aengus King, the six-year-old mare was sent into the lead by O’Gorman after a couple of furlongs and she timed it well from here, holding off A Shin Undine, the only real challenge presented to the pair in the straight.

She was 4lb out of the weights here, but was rated much higher than her current assessment last season, so this was very much a step back in the right direction.

The first leg of the GAIN The Advantage Series went to the Henry de Bromhead-trained Matt Connor (9/2), who saw late multiple late challenges under Billy Lee.

The gelded son of Teofilo raced prominently, took it up shortly after the three-furlong pole, kicked a couple of lengths clear and then held on valiantly from Rattle And Hum, who came closest.

This was a step forward from his promising seasonal debut when he wasn’t beaten far at all in a mile handicap at Dundalk. Owned by the Patocallaghanracing Syndicate, he has the scope to progress further given this was just his fifth ever run.