NAAS needed to pass a morning inspection to get its first flat meeting of the season underway but the heavy ground was very much key to Joseph O’Brien’s Visualisation, (9/2) who saw off all challengers in the feature contest, the Listed Plusvital Devoy Stakes.

With a rating of 105, the Harold John Millar-owned five-year-old is a solid operator at this level and he raced prominently for Declan McDonogh before boxing on strongly from Sunchart and Self Belief, neither of whom could get close enough to land a blow.

Last of nine on his stable debut in the Alleged Stakes before going on to finish a good third in the Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes last season, he will be a significant threat for either or both of those races again in the coming weeks, especially if he gets another chance on a soft surface.

“He just loves heavy ground,” O’Brien said. “Last year he didn’t get much of it. He had a little setback during the season but he’s come back in really good nick.

“Declan gave him a really good ride I thought. He said there was a strip of ground all the way that was the best of it and he got on it, and that was a help. The ground is the key to the horse and he is a talented horse when he gets these conditions.

“He is in the Alleged and providing the ground is heavy we’ll be keeping him busy. We then might look to give him a break during the summer with a view to coming back in the autumn.”

Repel

O’Brien was denied a double in the closing contest, a mile median auction race, when Zoinnocent could not repel the late challenge of Sprewell (13/8) , who got Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley off the mark for the season.

Facing the exact same conditions he had on her previous start when second to the useful Sierra Blanca, the Mohamed Khalid Mohamed Abdulrahim-owned son of Churchill showed a good attitude to get on top, and goes for the Derby Trial at Leopardstown next according to assistant trainer Kate Harrington.

PADDINGTON got his classic year off to the perfect start when comfortably scoring off a mark of 97 in the Irish Racing Writers Carmel Kirwan and Loretta O’Hanlon Memorial Madrid Handicap.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained son of Siyouni (6/4 favourite) was always well positioned by Ryan Moore in the straight, especially when his three closest pursuers got into something of a barging match at the furlong pole.

He was a length and three quarters to the good at the line, with Michael Mulvany’s Duke Of Leggagh gamely getting up for second from Panic Alarm at the line. It was a huge performance from the runner-up considering he was racing from 12lbs out of the handicap.

Paddington was a five-length winner of his maiden at the Curragh last October and while there will be higher profile classic colts on the Ballydoyle team this year, he has the scope to progress into a classic candidate.

“We’re very happy with him,” O’Brien said. “He won his maiden very well and it was a case of getting more experience into him here. He handed the ease in the ground and will probably stay further.

“We have time to go for a trial with him now. He could be one for the French Guineas or Derby, and the Irish Guineas could be an option for him as well.”

O’Brien doubled up in the Dubawi Legend Irish EBF Fillies Maiden but not with his first string Red Riding Hood, who was eclipsed by Jackie Oh (4/1), who made a winning debut.

The Ballydoyle trainer took the last two renewals of this maiden with Tuesday and Empress Josephine and this beautifully-bred daughter of Galileo and Jacqueline Quest showed a really good attitude coming down the near side for Seamie Heffernan, first getting the better of Emotivo and then her more fancied stablemate.

“That was her first run, she had a few hold ups last year but it wasn’t ability stopping her,” O’Brien said. “She’ll go for a trial next and she should get further.”

The well supported favourite Chazzesmee (11/8 favourite) ran out a very easy winner of the seven-furlong King Of Change Handicap for Fozzy Stack who suggested a handicap on Guineas weekend at the Curragh could be in line for the son of Excelebration.

The Liz Stack-owned gelding had won by five lengths at Dundalk on his previous run and was ridden confidently by Mark Enright, who brought him through to comfortably take the measure of Vocal Studies inside the final furlong.

He looks sure to take another hike in the ratings - had gone up 16lbs for his Dundalk win - but was most impressive here, and is very lightly raced for his age.

THE opening six-furlong Kuroshio at Compas Stallions Maiden went to Michael O’Callaghan’s Red Letter Bray (2/1), who gamely fought off challengers on either side of him, favourite Run Ran Run and Desert Haven, to get his trainer off the mark for the season.

The son of New Bay ran with credit in the maiden won by Auguste Rodin here last July and given the strength of that race, he may not have needed to improve to win this, though his trainer reported his shoe had come loose in the run so he did well in the circumstances. Providing he is okay, he could go for the Guineas trial at Leopardstown next.

There was another close finish in the second race, the six-furlong Compas Stallions Handicap, where Aidan Howard’s Magical Vision (6/1) made it three wins on the bounce.

Heavy gound conditions were never going to be a deterrence to the Alana Insole-owned mare given both of her previous wins were on that exact surface late last season, which included a win at this course off just 2lbs lower.

Chris Hayes angled her out from behind the well supported Sounds Of Spring at the two-furlong pole, and she mastered that rival inside the final furlong before just holding the late challenge of Mickey The Steel.

On heavy ground, she looks capable of holding her own in a premier handicap now, which her trainer suggested could be on the cards for her.

Andrew Slattery (jnr) just missed out in the first race on Run Ran Run but he went one better for his father on Senado Square (5/2 favourite), who ran an authoritative winner of the five-furlong Far Above at Compas Stallions Handicap.

The New Approach Investments Ltd-owned son of Mayson was down the field in three maidens last season but showed the first signs of life when second on his handicap debut in Dundalk in February and he was kept for this race since that run.

He had little trouble defying a mark of 52, picking up smartly to come away from Eddie Lynam’s Disco Bear, and has a nice progressive-looking profile now.