Mingun made it three wins from as many starts this season when capturing the featured Meld Stakes at Leopardstown's Saturday evening fixture.
The pace was quite sedate until the home turn in this ten furlongs Group 3 contest, but the son of champion racemare Miesque quickened nicely for Michael Kinane approaching the furlong pole before holding off Carnival Dancer by a head.
'He would have preferred a quicker pace, and ran very green when he got there,' said Aidan O'Brien, who added, 'We have taken baby steps with him all the way, and he's in all the good races.'
The master of Ballydoyle is likely to represented by Statute Of Liberty in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood next week, while The Mighty Tiger may also take his chance in the Champagne Stakes.
Kinane dominated the proceedings with a 107/1 treble having also been successful aboard handicappers Suntory and She's Our Girl. 'If that fellow rode for me every week I'd be a trainer,' quipped Eddie Lynam after Suntory came from last to first in the straight to beat Triple Gold by a head in the seven furlongs event.
Kinane adopted similar tactics on She's Our Girl in the ten furlongs handicap, with Michael Holden's charge showing a smart turn of foot in the closing stages to beat Fluirseach by two lengths.
Privy Seal paid a large compliment to impressive Coventry Stakes winner Three Valleys when landing the Listed Tyros Stakes. The son of Cape Cross, beaten over eight lengths at Royal Ascot, headed the pace-setting Wathab a furlong out to score by a length and provided jockey Jimmy Fortune with his first success at the Foxrock venue.
'He's a very laid back colt, just like his father. He'll have no trouble getting a mile, and wouldn't mind some cut in the ground. There is a Listed race over a mile at Deauville near the end of next month that he could go for,' said trainer John Gosden.
The Manton trainer also outlined why he withdrew Ikhtyar from the Meld Stakes. 'He likes to get his toe in and unfortunately the rain we were promised has not arrived. The plan was to give him a run here with a view to the Irish Champion Stakes.'
Daganya made a winning reappearance in the other Listed race of the evening, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Sweet Mimosa Stakes. Tadhg O'Shea drove the Danehill Dancer filly to the front just inside the final furlong, and she kept on gamely to beat Anna Frid by half a length. 'That was a good effort on her first start of the year, and I hope she can go on to better things. She was held up with a cyst on her stifle,' said trainer Michael Halford. The Curragh handler will run Miss Emma in the Group 3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes at the Curragh in a fortnight.
Billy Lee partnered his fourth winner of the season when Tiros got off the mark on her debut in the two-year-old auction maiden. 'She's smart but tough, and if she comes out of this alright then she might go for the nursery at Galway next Saturday,' said trainer Tommy Stack's son James.
Alan Magee
