Babouche proves highlight of brilliant treble for Ger Lyons and Colin Keane on trials day at Naas
The filly was a Group One winner at two in the Phoenix Stakes, where she beat Whistlejacket, but had been below that form when beaten in the Cheveley Park and when disappointing on her return to action this season at Cork.
Whistlejacket, which had scored on his seasonal debut and was sent off 4/5 favourite, led with two furlongs to go but Babouche (2/1) always looked to be travelling better and Keane's mount soon quicked up to record a two-and-three-quarter-length triumph.
'That's the first time I've seen that this year from her,' said Lyons of his filly which is now 4/1 favourite for the Commwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. 'Now we can go to the Commonwealth and if we get beat, we get beat, but at least we know we are locked and loaded. It's been a good day.'
Half an hour earlier, Lady Iman maintained her unbeaten record for Lyons in the Blackbeard Fillies Sprint Stakes.
Keane's mount looked to face a stiff task on paper up against Aidan O'Brien's Simply Astounding, a Wootton Bassett filly out of Minding which had been very impressive on her debut.
However, the odds-on favourite was one of the first beaten, with Lady Iman chasing down Green Sense inside the final furlong before eventually prevailing by three-parts of a length.
She is now 4/1 favourite with Paddy Power for the Albany and the same price for the Queen Mary. 'She came to me with a reputation and she's done everything easy,' said the trainer.
The Lyons-Keane hat-trick was initiated by the success of Beckman (7/2) which dented the reputation of 3/10 hotpot Mississippi River in the one-mile handicap by over two lengths.
Earlier, Aidan O'Brien got his day off to the ideal start when Charles Darwin justified odds of 1/14 in the Coolmore Stud The Antarctic Race over five furlongs.
Having already got off the mark at Navan three weeks ago, Ryan Moore's mount remains the ante-post market leader for Ascot's Norfolk Stakes at 3/1.
'We're very happy, he just needed a nice sharp bit. Obviously the plan is to go to Ascot with him and it was nice to do it on lovely ground,' said O'Brien.
'Hopefully that will have done the job and we'll just look after him between now and then.'
Copacabana Sands (18/5) gained compensation for an unlucky run at Leopardstown last time when storming home to claim the Listed Owenstown Stud Stakes over seven furlongs for Michael O'Callaghan.
Market leader One Smack Mac made a bold bid from the front but could not resist the winner's final flourish, with Jamie Powell getting his mount up by half a length.
Adrian Murray's Bucanero Fuerte bounced back to winning ways and out of retirement with a dominant display in the Sole Power Sprint Stakes.
A winner on the same card last year in the Lacken Stakes, he was on a retrieval mission here after finishing unplaced on his final three outings of the season, having been forced to miss Royal Ascot with a problem.
Those three defeats did come at the highest level, though, and back down in Group Three company, he was able to dominate.
With Lyons' Breeders' Cup winner Magnum Force in the field and looking to give his trainer a four-timer on the card, Bucanero Fuerte looked to face stiff opposition. However, Magnum Force failed to fire and finished last of the seven runners.
On the other hand, Bucanero Fuerte, a Group One winner at two, was always going well in the hands of David Eganwho drove the 13/8 favourite to a length and three-quarters success from Powerful Nation.
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