O'Brien brothers double up with Downdraft

Downdraft swooped in the mile and a quarter handicap to give Joseph and Donnacha O'Brien a double at Naas.

The three-year-old colt stayed on strongly to get up in the closing stages and win by a length and three quarters at 5/1. New Direction (11/1) was beaten into second, a nose in front of Tudor City the 3/1 favourite.

“He lost his way a little bit in the middle of the summer,” Joseph O'Brien said.

“In fairness to the owners they said to freshen him up, take your time with him and pick a race before the season ends.

“We were able to train him for here and I think a mile-and-a-quarter seems to be his optimum trip.

" He likes to be held up and Donnacha gave him a great ride in fairness, he put him asleep and came down through the middle of them.

“You'd have to say he's well entitled to go back into stakes company whether it'll be this year or next year.

“He's a horse that we think will have plenty of good days in him.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson