THE class act of the day duly delivered as Pearls Galore began her fourth season in harness with a quality effort in the Listed Gradguide Heritage Stakes which looks to have paved the way for a return to the big time for Paddy Twomey’s charge.

A Group 3 winner and dual Group 1-placed last season, the five-year-old Pearls Galore was running for the first time since her honourable sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile for owners the Haras De Saint Pair.

In a race where the Lincoln winner Raadobarg was a late defection owing to the ground, Billy Lee kept things simple by looking on from second on the 4/5 favourite. The front- running Pretreville gave her a good test in the straight but Pearls Galore was just too good and stamped her authority on matters in good style over the course of the last furlong. She reached the line two and a half lengths ahead of her aforementioned opponent who looks set to emerge as a force at stakes level this term.

The trainer said: “I feel she can win a Group 1 if we can get it right. She’s strong, she’s well and she’s enjoying it so hopefully she can do it. She’s in the Lockinge but she’s not a Group 2 winner yet so maybe we will look at the Lanwades Stakes at the Curragh on Guineas weekend and there is also the Duke Of Cambridge at Royal Ascot.”

Smooth Mutasarref

Mutasarref looks a horse with a future in quality handicaps this season after he made a smooth winning debut for Ger Lyons in the 50-80 rated seven-furlong race. A 95,000gns purchase from Shadwell after winning a Listowel maiden for Dermot Weld in September, this gelded son of Dark Angel ran riot off an initial mark of 80.

The Eleanora Kennedy-owned gelding eased to the front over a furlong from home and had plenty in hand as he defeated Timourid by two and a half lengths. The well-backed 13/8 favourite is in for a hike up the weights after this but there is unquestionably more to come from him.

Moracana returns

Another horse who could climb the ranks this term is Sheila Lavery’s Moracana (8/1) who made a successful return in the 50-80 rated Spin 1038 Handicap which was the quickest of the three races on the card that were run over 10 furlongs.

The Elzaam filly won a maiden over this course and distance on her third and final start in 2021 and turned in a likeable effort on her handicap debut from a stall 17 draw.

She had plenty to do turning in but soon launched a sustained charge for Robbie Colgan and ran on strongly to collar Entropy deep inside the last furlong, prevailing by a length. The well-backed favourite Earl Of Tyrone was a further length and a half away in third. Moracana was bred by her trainer and carries the colours of Sue Chadwick.

JOSEPH O’Brien could have quite a prospect on his hands in Above The Curve who justified 6/5 favouritism with authority in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden over 10 furlongs. A daughter of American Pharoah out of a half-sister to Giant’s Causeway, the winner showed lots of promise on her sole juvenile outing at this track last October.

She cruised around the outside for Shane Crosse and needed little encouragement to strike the front over a furlong out before a near three-length triumph over Thoughts Of June. This Oaks entrant can surely make her mark at a much higher level in the coming months.

“She could take a high rank in some of those nice fillies’ races later in the year,” observed O’Brien who might be favouring the Irish Oaks ahead of a trip to Epsom. “We go down the Oaks trial route and possibly we will look at the Blue Wind Stakes at Naas next month but we will take baby steps with her as she’s a very tall filly.”

Bouncing Ocean

Boundless Ocean (5/4) bounced back from a narrow defeat over seven furlongs on the opening day of the season to land the aparto Student (C&G) Maiden over a mile-and-a-quarter.

This classy Jim Bolger inmate, who fitted in two good runs at Group 3 level when running three times in nine days last October, coped well with this new trip but a drop back to a mile for next month’s Irish 2000 Guineas looks to be on the cards for the son of Teofilo.

After taking a lead from Temple Of Artemis for most of the race, Boundless Ocean improved to strike the front for Kevin Manning with over a furlong to run and he found plenty to contain the newcomer Flying Dolphin by three-quarters of a length.

“He probably just got a little tired going to the line on slower than ideal ground at the Curragh,” reflected Manning who was sporting the Jackie Bolger colours. “We’ve always held him in high regard and we still do. He travelled very well through the race and he hit the line strong.”

Lullaby on song

There was another nice type on show in the fillies’ maiden over a mile where Aidan O’Brien’s Lullaby (4/1) and Seamie Heffernan outpointed stablemate Only.

The 93-rated winner, whose four runs last term came at listed and Group 3 level, made the running and held a useful lead turning in before finding plenty when joined by Only in the last furlong.

A determined Lullaby made her experience count to carry the day by a neck but it will not be long before the runner-up gets her turn. A return to Leopardstown next month for the Group 3 1000 Guineas Trial is likely to be next for the winner.

ANOTHER good day for John McConnell yielded a closing race double and the trainer successfully combined with his son Cillian for the second time in four days with the €9,000 purchase New Moon Rising in the 47-65 rated handicap over nine furlongs. On her fourth start for the trainer, the Vamwell Limited-owned 22/1 chance made much of the running and she kept on well in the straight to defeat stablemate Freepark by three lengths.

Successful Company

The trainer was earlier successful with the Declan McDonogh-ridden Company Keeping, in the colours of Liam Mulryan, in the 47-65 rated seven furlongs handicap.

The 3/1 favourite, who had finished no worse than fourth in four outings at Dundalk through the winter, coped well with the step-up from sprint distance and repelled the effort of Run The Jewels by half a length.