'Big talent. Big reputation.' - Huge excitement as race weekend kicks off in the Curragh
Who you got?
Punters descended in their droves for the opening day of the Irish Derby weekend in the Curragh and they were not disappointed.
A horse purchased for a whopping €1.8million made a winning debut at the meeting on Friday evening.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained Ylang Ylang was sent off the 8/13 favourite for a seven-furlong fillies maiden and came home two and three-quarter lengths ahead of the rest of the field under Ryan Moore.
The daughter of Frankel was bought for 1.5million guineas as a yearling, which is the equivalent of around €1.8million, and was too good for the 11 unraced rivals she faced at the county Kildare venue as the Irish Derby meeting got under way.
Ylang Ylang was the second winner for O'Brien and Moore on the evening as they landed a 51/1 treble after an earlier victory for Mountain Bear (4/1) in a six-furlong maiden before The Black Tiger (11/2) landed the final race on the card, a 1m2f maiden.
The pair have a number of fancied runners at the Curragh over Saturday and Sunday, including Auguste Rodin as he aims to do the English-Irish Derby double, a feat last achieved by Dermot Weld’s Harzand in 2016.