Ghaire sister makes winning start at Curragh

Gile Na Greine made a highly promising debut when overcoming a lack of experience in the Loder EBF Fillies Race at the Curragh.

Trained by Jim Bolger, the daughter of Galileo is a full sister to stablemate Cuis Ghaire and showed she at least has a decent level of ability.

Kevin Prendergast’s Jade Jewel was all the rage and was sent off the 6-4 favourite, while Aidan O’Brien’s Black Eyed Susan, a daughter of Montjeu, was also well fancied.

The three pulled miles clear inside the final furlong but Gile Na Greine (6-1) stamped her authority on the contest and won by a length and a quarter in the end.

Bolger said: "Cuis Ghaire (runner-up in this year's English 1000 Guineas) would be pacier than Gile Na Greine but Gile Na Greine will stay better - we'll have to think about running her in the Moyglare Stakes next.''

She was given a quote of 25-1 for next year’s 1000 Guineas at Newmarket by Stan James.

Casual Conquest notched up his second victory of the season with a workmanlike display in the Royal Whip Stakes.

Winner of the Tattersalls Gold Cup earlier in the campaign, Dermot Weld’s four-year-old faced a pretty straightforward task on paper and that was how it proved in the end.

Pat Smullen oozed confidence throughout and even though Luca Cumani’s Curtain Call looked threatening at one point, Casual Conquest eventually pulled clear to win by a length and a quarter.

It gave owners Moyglare Stud their second winner within five minutes after Braveheart Move won at Pontefract.

Casual Conquest was left unchanged at 20-1 by Victor Chandler for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe but William Hill shortened him to 20s from 25s.

Weld said: "Casual Conquest did that nicely as the runner-up is a decent horse. He is ideally suited by soft ground but extremes of ground are not for him - he has now won one Group One and two Group Two races.

“We’ll reflect on his next target but the Irish Champion Stakes is his most likely port of call.”