Pat Smullen, champion apprentice for the last two seasons, burst spectacularly into the highest Group One class when Tarascon just held out to win yesterday's Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh.
The 20-year-old jockey from Rhode, Co Offaly may have ridden 35 winners this season before the Moyglare but Smullen was in no doubt about the importance of this hard-earned Group One success in his bid to bridge the often yawning chasm between the apprentice ranks and the select few top fully fledged riders.
"This was always going to be such a crucial year, my first out of my apprenticeship, riding for bigger yards and having more responsibility," Smullen grinned happily. "This is a really great win for me."
Great for Smullen and thrilling for everyone watching. Aidan O'Brien's favourite Heeremandi was merely one of five fillies from Ballydoyle but from early in the seven-furlong contest it became clear that Heed My Warning was giving her famous actor, owner John Hurt a fairytale introduction to racehorse ownership.
Heed My Warning and Willie Supple had most of her opposition in trouble by the furlong pole but Tarascon was the notable exception with Smullen swinging out of the saddle. Such was Heed My Warning's resolution, however, that Smullen quickly had to descend into the drive position and Tarascon was all out to beat her rival by a head, with O'Brien-trained fillies filling the next four placings.
"We now have the chance to dream through the winter," beamed a delighted trainer Tommy Stack, the former Grand National winning rider, whose only previous Group One winner was Las Meninas in the 1994 English 1,000 Guineas.
"This was my first Moyglare runner although Las Meninas was supposed to run in it only to get a dirty nose. There wasn't much between what Las Meninas was doing at home then and what Tarascon was doing last week so we were quite hopeful," Stack added before explaining Tarascon's fifth in the Heinz 57 with: "I told Pat to drop in and give her a chance but she didn't get the best of runs. It wasn't Pat's fault. I tied him down to orders too much."
Left to his own devices, Smullen's rapidly burgeoning promise unfolded and he explained after his first Moyglare ride: "I had no doubts about her getting the trip but I didn't want to get there too soon. The other filly battled back when I led a furlong out but my one was tougher."
That mattered little to an exultant John Hurt who said when the verdict was announced: "Never mind. She has done us proud." The filly's trainer Con Collins, who also saddled the seventh Lady Alexander, added: "She's inexperienced and will make a lovely three-year-old. Lady Alexander just didn't stay."
Aidan O'Brien can take some encouragement from the result for Saratoga Springs, beaten by Tarascon in July, runs in Friday's Champagne Stakes at Doncaster but it was a bad day generally for him as he saddled four beaten favourites and one beaten joint favourite.
Dangerous Diva could manage only third in the Trusted Partner Matron Stakes which went to the French-trained Clerio, a listed winner previously in Marseilles and Toulouse, who Michael Kinane drove a length clear of the English runner Supercal.
The 1 to 3 newcomer Boldini ran very green when swerving his chance away in the opener behind Jim Bolger's Irish Summit and it was the Bolger joint favourite Law Library who found the most in the Round Tower Stakes.
The well-backed Code Of Honour never looked happy in the Irish Cambridgeshire and although staying on well in the closing stages, O'Brien's three-year-old could never get in a blow at the top-weight Quws who justified Kevin Prendergast's pre-race confidence. "With the ground just right for him I thought he'd win today but it doesn't always turn out like that," Prendergast said.
There was a 32 per cent rise in bookmaker turnover at the curragh yesterday with a figure of £559,389 comparing to £424,819 last year. The Tote Aggreagate of £144,835 was also up, compared to the 1996 figure of £115,831.
