Point Lonsdale goes on from Visualisation© Photo Healy Racing
Point Lonsdale made a more than pleasing return to the fray when he wore down Visualisation in the Group 3 Alleged Stakes in the Curragh.
The front two had the spoils to themselves a long way from home in this €55,000 contest over 1m2f.
Point Lonsdale, having his first run for 351 days, looked in trouble at the two pole as he came off the bridle in his pursuit of Visualisation.
The leader kept finding for Declan McDonogh, but Point Lonsdale knuckled down to his task and began to reduce the margin coming to the business end.
He maintained his progress to grab Visualisation in the closing stages and went on by a length and a half under Wayne Lordan to reward favourite backers who took the 6/4. The runner-up was a 9/4 chance.
Aidan O'Brien said: “I’m very happy with that on his first run back on that ground. He’s going to stay further.
“We thought as a two-year-old that he would get further than seven furlongs, but he never went any further because we had other horses. Then we ran him in the Guineas and he got injured.
“There was nowhere to hide today. Joseph’s horse (Visualisation) went a good gallop and none of the other horses were able to close.”
On future plans, he added: “We have Luxembourg in the same sort of bracket.
“At the moment we are looking at the Ganay for him and, if not, the Mooresbridge.
“This horse could go for something like the Coronation (Cup) and take in another race before that.”
Point Lonsdale's last race came in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket in April last year where he finished 10th.
Lordan and O'Brien also teamed up with newcomer Democracy in the opening race on the card.
Additional reporting by Alan Magee
