Luxembourg battles to make winning return

Luxembourg had to pull out plenty in a head bobber to make a winning return to action in the Royal Whip Stakes at the Curragh this afternoon.

The one-time Derby favourite was making his return from a 105-day absence having suffered a muscle injury in the build up to the Epsom classic.

It was his first outing since finishing third in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in late April and Aidan O'Brien had warned that he expected plenty of improvement from the Camelot colt.

Nevertheless he went to post a 2/9 shot in the Group 3 over ten furlongs.

Ryan Moore tracked the leaders on the hotpot before asking him to take closer order turning for home.

He was driven to the front a furlong-and-a-half from home but tracked through by Insinuendo who had had to wait for an opening.

The filly got to the front briefly inside the final furlong but Luxembourg battled back in the closing stages, sticking his neck out close home for a neck victory.

When asked if he was relieved O'Brien said:- “Very, we didn't think he'd ever get here.

“We thought that he had no chance of running after what happened to him. Everyone did a great job to get him over his first mishap, he was off for a long time.

“Then he came back and it wasn't smooth with him. Jamie who looks after him did an incredible job.

“I didn't think he'd get here, our eye was on the Irish Champion Stakes and obviously we knew you couldn't go to a Champion Stakes without a run and this was the only place we could run.

“The track was beautiful. In this heat it's very difficult to have ground the way it is so hats off to the Curragh.

“First time back we didn't want a grueller because he was only ready to start. It was brilliant really because they didn't go too fast and he had to quicken and run hard for the last two which he wanted to do before he'd go into a big championship race.

“We were over the moon. We knew Willie's filly was a good filly as we'd ran against her earlier in the year.

“They ran hard the last two and Ryan gave him a lovely ride and taught him. He had to sprint the last two furlongs and I couldn't be happier.

“Ryan said he moved up, got there and just shut down. He's used to doing that in his work, just getting there and coming with horses.

“Obviously he wouldn't have been edged up in any way. A lot of his work would be physical core work rather than sharpness because he wasn't ready to start sharpening him.

“We were only going to have one race to sharpen him and then we could take him home and get the rest.

“I can't tell you how delighted we are with him. He's a horse that can go a very high tempo and quicken off it.

“He quickened today off a slow pace. With the horse we know, a strong tempo hopefully brings out the best in him.

“Ryan was very good on him. He had to wake him up, make him get down and do it without being too serious on him. He was brilliant at that and he found when he had to find.

“Going to the line he was coasting again.

“The plan was to go on to the Champions Stakes. We came here with High Chaparral before and he came on lovely from it.

“This horse had a lot more to come on because he had a big set-back but we could not be happier with that.

“I thought he would improve 20 to 30 percent from today. Hopefully now he comes out of it okay.”

Ryan Moore added:- "I'm very happy with him. It was a good starting point."

Paddy Power kept Luxembourg unchanged at 16/1 for the Arc, and 5/1 from 4/1 for the Irish Champion Stakes.