Triple Eight came forward massively from his debut at the Curragh ten days ago when making all under Pat Smullen in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Maiden at Gowran.

The son of Royal Applause looked a winner up the straight as the 8/13 favourite, Petronius Maximus was under a drive. It was left to promising looking The Reaper to take the runner-up spot, two and a half lengths off the winner.

Smullen said of the first Dermot Weld-trained juvenile victor of the campaign: "We were very disappointed with him at the Curragh. He was dreadfully green that day and as a result I got further back than I wanted and he had no race.

"Today I said I was going to be aggressive on him and it worked."