Stradivarius successfully defended his Gold Cup crown to provide Frankie Dettori with a remarkable fourth successive victory on day three of Royal Ascot.

Who would want to be a handicapper with a horse like Willie Mullins’ Micro Manage around?

Seven is the magic number for Aidan O’Brien at Epsom today as he sends out seven runners in search of his seventh victory in the Investec Derby.

Riding the favourite in the famous colours of JP McManus and on a Joseph O’Brien-trained gelding at the Curragh is a dream challenge for most jockeys.

On a day which provided across-the-card trebles for Aidan, Joseph and Donnacha O’Brien, progressive Ballydoyle colt Lucius Tiberius came from last to first to record a last-gasp victory in the Irish Stallions Farms EBF Nasrullah Handicap in Leopardstown.

There’s gallops on the strand, music in the air and heavenly gardens on display. And that’s just among some of the activities in West Cork this weekend.

Aidan O'Brien's incredible training talents were advertised in their full glory as Churchill and Winter claimed the first two Classics of the season at Newmarket.

Irish Grand National-winning jockey Robbie Power says that horse racing’s updated Non-Trier rule means that jockeys will be riding for punters and stewards rather than horses and their connections, and admits that riders will have to be harder than they would like and risk the futures of young horses, to avoid falling foul of the regulation.

Having looked likely to develop into a most frustrating sort, Swamp Fox is beginning to look like a professional winner, and the four-year-old produced another tremendous display to rout the opposition in the featured Liam Healy Memorial Lartigue Hurdle on day three of the Listowel Harvest Festival.

On a night when British challenger Decorated Knight, ridden for Roger Charlton by George Baker, landed the Group 3 ICON Meld Stakes at Leopardstown, the O’Briens again stole the show as the progressive three-year-old Arya Tara justified favouritism in the listed Stanerra Stakes.

English Guineas and Oaks winner Minding fulfilled expectations with a stylish display against older fillies in the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes on the final day of the Derby meeting at the Curragh.

Group 1-placed as a two-year-old, Washington DC made an impressive return to action when landing the listed Paddy Power-sponsored Patton Stakes in emphatic style in Dundalk last night.

Apprentices Donnacha O’Brien and Donagh O’Connor both recorded doubles in Dundalk last night.

Off the track since winning her maiden in Navan back in April, the Kevin Prendergast-trained Bebhinn proved herself an exciting juvenile when winning the listed Blenheim 2-Y-0 Stakes in Fairyhouse yesterday.

Coolmore made an encouraging start to her career, despite having to settle for third in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden at the Curragh.

Rupert Lamb put previous frustrating runs over hurdles behind him with a very smart display in the featured Download The Free Racing Post Mobile App Handicap Hurdle last night at Killarney last night.

In emphatically reversing Coventry Stakes form with Buratino and giving trainer Aidan O’Brien his fourteenth success in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, yesterday afternoon at the Curragh, Air Force Blue was promoted to clear favouritism for next season’s Newmarket 2000 Guineas.

Even Dermot Weld, at least privately, must have found it highly amusing.

Now Or Never had young trainer Michael O’Callaghan dreaming big after she ran out a most impressive winner of the Topaz Fillies’ Maiden, last night at Galway.

Hero of Saturday’s Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh, highlight of a weekend which yielded four wins, seven-times champion Pat Smullen partnered Lean And Keen to victory in the featured www.thetote.com Handicap in heavy ground in Ballinrobe last night.

It’s Oaks day at the Curragh, and Curvy looks capable of justifying favouritism in the feature, but it’s Final Frontier who gets the nap to make a successful step up to Group 3 level in the Jebel Ali Racecourse & Stables Anglesey Stakes.

The progressive, Aidan O’Brien-trained Fields Of Athenry proved a hugely impressive winner of the listed Challenge Stakes as continuous rain turned the ground yielding to soft in Leopardstown last night.

The David Wachman-trained Off Limits returned to her best with an impressive victory in the listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Cairn Rouge Stakes on day one of Killarney’s July festival.

Toscanini and Queen Of Sicily, trained by Michael Halford and Jim Bolger respectively, provided the powerful Godolphin team with a double in Naas last night.

Eddie Lynam completed a double with Mr.Good Guy and Captain Power in Fairyhouse last night.

Saturday round-up

In top form in Royal Ascot during the week, seven-times champion Pat Smullen partnered favourite Laviniad to a convincing victory in the featured www.gowranpark.ie Handicap in Gowran Park yesterday.

Outsider of the small field, Tennessee Wildcat captured the listed Copper Face Jacks Glencairn Stakes under Colin Keane at Leopardstown last night.

Pleascach is set for the Irish Derby after repelling hot favourite Found to claim Classic glory in the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh yesterday.

A beaten favourite on her debut in Naas, Most Beautiful might be capable of making amends in the opening Irish Stallion farms 2-Y-0 Fillies Maiden in Cork tonight.

Forgotten Rules hardened as favourite for next month’s Ascot Gold Cup following his gutsy defeat of Answered in the Group 3 Coolmore Vintage Crop Stakes, feature of yesterday’s action in Navan.