Lady Upstage might have taken the Saturday feature, the Hunston Pretty Polly Stakes, but for favourite backers it was the mere handicapper Citizen Edward who became the weekend pin up.
Out of the 14 races run at the Curragh over Friday and Saturday, only Citizen Edward managed to justify favouritism, and only by a short head at that, in the seven furlong handicap.
But apart from him it was a punting massacre all the way and the joy that Lady Upstage brought to her trainer Barry Hills could only be equalled by the joy felt by the bookies.
Hills's happiness was understandable considering his huge string have not been firing on all cylinders recently.
"When you have 170 horses that are running badly and you don't know what's causing it, it's worse than having a death in the family," the English trainer exclaimed.
An exaggeration sure but Hills could be excused considering the thrilling manner in which Lady Upstage actually won. At the two furlong pole, she swept into what looked an unassailable lead but then Preseli threw down her challenge.
Eddie Ahern's mount closed remorselessly but even her jockey's urgings, which eared Ahern a two-day whip ban, still left Preseli a short head short.
"The general consensus was that Lady Upstage didn't get the trip when fifth in the Oaks and I'm going to keep her to a mile and a quarter. The Nassau Stakes is a possibility," Hills added while the runner up is on target for the Irish Oaks.
Spinning Top, the well-backed favourite owned by Queen Elizabeth, faded on the turn in to be seventh and was afterwards found to be slightly lame. Her rider Michael Kinane was also in the wars, pulling muscles in his back, and gave up the remainder of his rides.
It wasn't a good day at all for Kinane who had to endure finishing runner up on the 1 to 5 Freud in the two-year-old maiden. The full brother to Giants Causeway was being niggled from half way, was briefly checked, but still had ample time to overhaul Blixen if good enough.
He wasn't and the Oxx filly won by half a length, leaving her trainer to say: "To go and beat a Ballydoyle horse you have to be well prepared but she's obviously switched on and mentally smart. She knew more than I thought."
Quality Team, a £5,250 supplementary entry for the Curragh Cup, will receive a very dubious reward for winning the Group 3 pot as he is set to be gelded today!
"We see him as making a very nice Triumph Hurdle horse," explained his trainer Dermot Weld who will continue to train the three-year-old that was recently bought by Michael Smurfit.
There was a colossal gamble on Lindissima in the Summer Handicap but it went badly astray as the favourite faded to 11th behind the Tommy Stack trained Basin Street Blues.
The Lindissima team of Con Collins and Pat Shanahan had better luck earlier though courtesy of Turn Turtle who survived a steward inquiry in the 10 furlong handicap.
