York report: The One Cool Cat riddle remains unanswered despite Aidan O'Brien's colt finishing only third in yesterday's Nunthorpe Stakes at York.

For a $3.1 million horse who once had pretensions to Classic super stardom, being beaten by the nine-year-old Bahamian Pirate would normally be a stone cold disappointment.

But yet again One Cool Cat showed tantalisingly enough to leave everyone wondering what he might just do next.

Dropped out last by Jamie Spencer, One Cool Cat never really looked like winning, especially when crossed by Orientor after half-way. Significantly the winner was only a couple of lengths ahead of the Irish star when starting the run that ultimately beat The Tatling by a neck.

But despite all that the eye couldn't help but track the startling late progress made by Spencer and One Cool Cat who carved their way through the pack in the final furlong to end up breathing down the necks of the principals.

"He ran as good a race, and gained as much credit as he could, without winning," argued O'Brien who pointed to the officially soft going as the major factor in the race.

There was much pre-race discussion in the Ballydoyle camp about whether to risk One Cool Cat on the surface or not but O'Brien was determined to look on the positive. "I'm happy the horse has run so well. He will have learned a lot and I'm really looking forward to the next day," he said.

"The only two races in this part of the world are the Haydock sprint and the Abbaye," added O'Brien who didn't rule out a trip to Texas in October for one of the Breeders' Cup races. "All these races are open to him. It was a big risk to run today because it was the first time he has encountered that kind of ground on that trip. He's only a three-year-old and his only other sprint run this year was in a Group Three," O'Brien argued.

Nevertheless, the search for that valuable Group One bracket in 2004 continues and no doubt the Coolmore Stud team will be hoping it doesn't take as long as Bahamian Pirate took to gain that top-notch success.

At nine his best days looked behind him but his trainer, Dandy Nicholls, declared: "The ground was right and at nine he has decided to become faster than ever!" Seb Sanders guided the winner and he too pointed to the going, saying: "He loves soft ground and today it was really tacky. I thought I had pretty much everything covered at half-way and it was a question then of whether or not he would go through with it. I couldn't believe anything was going fast enough behind me."

A glance at One Cool Cat's late rattle might have changed his mind but ultimately it was left to John Oxx's Tarakala to score the sole Irish success at the Ebor meeting when she easily won the Listed Galtres Stakes. Michael Kinane's mount had the race secure two furlongs out and the jockey reported: "I was in front sooner than I wanted but on this ground, when you're going well, you have to keep going."

John Murtagh managed to conjure a fine turn of foot from the favourite Soar in the Group Two Lowther Stakes and the James Fanshawe-trained filly is on course for another clash with her Queen Mary conqueror Damson in the Cheveley Park Stakes.