Alveena delivers her challenge in Leopardstown© Photo Healy Racing
< Harzand pegged back Idaho in the final 100 yards to strike gold in the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown.
Already proven in testing conditions thanks to his bloodless Cork romp on his comeback, the 2-1 favourite had three Ballydoyle colts in front of him shortly after straightening up.
It was the lesser fancied of the trio Idaho who looked the winner but Pat Smullen ran him down on the Dermot Weld-trained market leader and got up by a length and a quarter.
Aidan O'Brien pulled likely favourite Johannes Vermeer out of the Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial Stakes but still took the spoils thanks to Black Sea
Ryan Moore switched to the 7-2 chance, who was still last of the four entering the final furlong, but weaved his way along the rail to grabbed dead-heaters Stenographer and True Solitaire on the line.< Bhutan (14-1) made a sparkling debut in the Racecourse Of The Year (C & G) Maiden.< Housesofparliament was the primary hope from the O'Brien team but no sooner had he hit the front under Moore than Donnacha O'Brien brought Bhutan with a sweeping run down the outside and he went on to triumph by three lengths.
O'Brien was responsible for 11-10 favourite Alice Springs in the Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial Stakes but she could never land a real blow and had to settle for third behind all-the-way winner Jet Setting (11-2).
Adrian Keatley's filly dictated terms to suit herself in the Group Three contest and ran right the way to the line to beat Now Or Never by three lengths.
Weld and Smullen followed up their Ballysax win when Alveena (evens favourite) took the Bulmers Live At Leopardstown Handicap a shade cosily, while the Damian English-trained Tribal Path (7-1) supplemented his recent Cork win in the Leopardstown Family Raceday Handicap.< Laganore (9-4) found six furlongs too sharp on his reappearance but showed his appreciation for the mile and a furlong of the Leopardstown Summer Membership Handicap by scoring narrowly.
