Forgotten Rules (noseband) is driven out by Pat Smullen to beat Answered© Photo Healy Racing
Gold Cup ante-post favourite Forgotten Rules made an impressive start to the campaign as he resisted the strong challenge of Answered to take the Coolmore Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan.
The Dermot Weld-trained five-year-old started his career by winning a Punchestown bumper and this was just his fourth race, all of which he has won.
Pat Smullen settled him in third place before taking it up a quarter of a mile out, and though Answered loomed up with a threatening bid, the 8-11 favourite kept finding more and was well on top as he passed the post with a length and a quarter to spare.
Mick Halford's smart sort Toscanini was not far behind the best as a juvenile and he began his second season with a cosy victory in the Brews Hill Race.
Runner-up to subsequent 2000 Guineas hero Gleneagles in the National Stakes when last seen, the 9-10 favourite eased into the lead under Shane Foley going to the furlong pole and quickly put the race to bed, before readily holding Ainippe by a head.< Joe Eile returned to Irish action with Ger Lyons in the navanracecourse.ie Handicap after an unsuccessful stint in England and the 10-1 shot slipped into the lead on the far rail at the furlong pole before edging clear to win by half a length under Colin Keane.
David Wachman introduced a speedy youngster in Auld Enemy (13-2), who was smartly away in the hands of Wayne Lordan in the Requinto EBF Maiden and stayed in front all the way to the line, beating Black Beach by a length and a half.
Wachman and Lordan doubled up when 15-8 favourite Curvy pounced late to grab the spoils in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap, beating Dragon Fei by half a length.
Joseph O'Brien struck twice for his father Aidan, driving 9-2 shot Ivanovich Gorbatov ahead two furlongs out in the Excelebration Maiden and keeping him going strongly, then repeating the trick on Jinsha Lake (11-8 favourite) in the Pour Moi EBF Maiden.
