Yeats took the honours by half a length in the familiar dark blue colours of Sue Magnier, who owns the sixyear-old son of Sadler's Wells with Diane Nagle and it was then four-and-a-half lengths back to More Wells in third.

O'Brien was at Doncaster but Coolmore boss John Magnier admitted "That's as good as it gets."

Fallon was niggling Yeats along before the turn-in and confessed, "My heart was in my mouth whenever Seamus kicked. I thought we would never get up, but the push came just in time." It was a case of third time lucky for Yeats who had been second in the race for the past two years and he has a number of options for the future according to O'Brien. "Yeats can either go to France for the Arc if the ground got soft or the stayers race, the Prix du Cadran. Then there's the Melbourne Cup. There's the matter of the flu virus in Australia but hopefully they can get it under control and start vaccinating. We have the first and second today, as well as yesterday's winner Septimus and will just have to juggle them around."

Yeats remains unchanged with Ladbrokes at a price of 10-1 for the Emirates Melbourne Cup, while his stable-mate Scorpion is quoted at odds of 16/1. Purple Moon is the 8/1 favourite.

Trainer John Oxx fired home an opening race double through Age Of Chivalry in the two-year-old maiden and Forthefirstime, who ran out the neck winner of the listed Flame Of Tara EBF Stakes.

Both horses were ridden by Fran Berry, who went on to complete a treble courtesy of Baron De'l in the Crown Paints Handicap.

Oxx's Tipperary-born former assistant Mark Wallace had an afternoon to savour thanks to the success of his course specialist Benbaun in the Group 3 St Jovite Renaissance Stakes. Pat Smullen's mount has an enviable record at the Curragh and this was his sixth win over the course.

Benbaun and Moss Vale had the race between them in the final furlong, with Benbaun battling back to gain the upper hand by three parts of a length. Wallace, who is now in his fifth year training in England, pointed out, "He's run here nine times, won six races and been second three times. He only cost 6,000 as a yearling and has won 11 races from 33 starts.

"I worked for Aidan O'Brien as well as John Oxx and it was always my ambition to train a Group winner here. You don't want to be greedy with a horse like him but there's the Diadem Stakes at Ascot in two weeks time or Paris. Then there's the Breeder's Cup and Hong Kong, where he was third last year."