O`Brien sparkles at Leopardstown

Aidan O`Brien continued in fantastic form at Leopardstown with four more winners including an impressive newcomer Sorcerous in the Sycamore Maiden, won last year for the stable by Mediterranean.

Although the O`Brien yard had a four-timer, stable jockey Michael Kinane only rode two of them and is still five behind the reigning champion Pat Smullen who is on the 80 mark still having drawn a rare blank.

Johnny Murtagh moved within three of Smullen when Peru Genie made all the running in the opening sprint before the O`Brien bandwagon rolled into action.

Pietra Dura, in the race as first reserve, started the ball rolling for O`Brien and Kinane when this well-bred daughter of Cadeaux Genereux justified good support in the Laidlaw Maiden confined to fillies.

O`Brien saddled both the first and second in the Group Three Killavullan Stakes but it was the 12-1 chance Stonemason that proved much too good for the odds-on Temple Of Artemis.

Seamus Heffernan got the mount on Stonemason instead of Colom Donohue who had hurt his hand in a stalls mishap on Sunday at Galway and proceeded to make the best of the opportunity on the Son of Nureyev.

'Stonemason won on his debut and was third in a good race at the Curragh, but we probably ran him back there too soon and he had a nice break before running here today,' said champion trainer O`Brien.

Sorcerous, who cost two million guineas at the Newmarket sales last autumn, was a well-touted newcomer for O`Brien and Kinane in the Sycamore Maiden and duly obliged although drifting badly in the market from odds-on out to 5-4.

Millstreet was a heavily-supported second favourite and led into the straight before both Sorcerous and another well-regarded newcomer In Time`s Eye bore down on him and swept to the front.

The principals came close together running to the line, prompting a stewards` inquiry, but the favourite had prevailed by a length and it came as no surprise when he was allowed retain the spoils.

'We always planned to give this fellow just the one race towards the end of the season. He is a lovely big horse that should be going places next season,' said O`Brien.

The four-timer was completed in the Listed Trigo Stakes but again punters got it wrong as 14-1 chance Ice Dancer took the prize with Kinane`s shorter priced mount Chamela Bay only fourth.

'I am delighted for Paul Scallan that he has won here on Ice Dancer because he has been working mostly for the team on pacemakers this season and never complains,' said O`Brien.

Ice Dancer had run a fine race in the Irish Champion Stakes when pacemaking for Galileo and certainly appreciated today the drop in class to Listed company.

Scallan was handed a five-day ban for using his whip with excessive force and frequency on the surprise winner.