IN defying top weight to win last evening's featured Heineken Handicap by a length and a half, the Dermot Weld trained Silvian Bliss was yet another horse to up hold the Irish Lincoln form following recent successes of Idris and Cockney Lad.

Fourth in the Curragh handicap on his previous appearance, Silvian Bliss responded to three Michael Kinane wielded backhanders after arriving with his run from the distance to beat Roi Croft and Kilbaha.

Weld was fulsome in his praise for the improvements made to the course. "They have improved the track so much people will run better class flat horses here," he predicted.

Myro Balanne, successful in the Baileys Irish Cream Handicap two years ago, compensated for a luckless run at Limerick on her previous appearance with a comprehensive victory in the same race. Ridden by Niall McCullagh, the Listowel winner arrived with her challenge inside the distance and stayed on well to ward off Home Port by 21/2 lengths.

Champagne Hurley was the easiest winner of the meeting to date. The Declan Gillespie trained, Pat Smullen partnered filly fairly sprinted for the line to trounce her rivals in the Killarney Grand Hotel Claiming Race.

Wray justified favouritism when beating Difficult Times in the opening Quirkes Sand & Gravel Maiden Hurdle. Ridden by Richard Dunwoody, the winner rose to the last marginally ahead and in a good finish, held Difficult Times by a head. Winning trainer Liam Browne expects to have charge of between 70 and 100 yearlings for his Japanese investors later this year. Shane Lyons incurred a two day suspension for excessive use of the whip on the runner up.

Tony Martin saddled Falcarragh to win the Racegoers Club Handicap Hurdle. The winner and Majestic John crossed the blast flight as one, but Falcarragh "finished strongly to score by a length and a half. Martin underwent a pinning operation to a troublesome right shoulder last Wednesday and will consequently miss the rest of the point to point season. However, with 31 winners between the flags he still hopes to retain the Irish Field sponsored leading rider championship.

. Fastness, second to Ridge wood Pearl in the Breeders' Cup Mile last autumn, made an impressive start to the campaign by winning the Grade Three Ingle wood Handicap (1m & 110 yds)at Hollywood Park on Sunday.

Despite being off the course since November, the classy French import showed all his old fire to power three lengths clear of the smart Helmsman in a course record time.

Dernier Empereur, the 1994 Champion Stakes winner, was beaten a little over six lengths into fourth in a field of five.

The "will he or won't he saga" regarding Unbridled's Song participation in the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the American Triple Crown, on Saturday, is expected to be resolved soon.

However, at least the signs are encouraging. The beaten Kentucky Derby colt worked in normal shoes on Sunday morning, having previously worn bar shoes to remedy a troublesome quarter crack sustained in the Grade Two Wood Memorial in April.

Connections of the colt indicated that they would rather by pass the Preakness rather than subject the Florida Derby winner to another race in bar shoes, which jockey Mike Smith likened to "running in combat boots."

Wayne Lukas, angling for a seventh consecutive success in a Triple Crown race, has announced that Jerry Bailey is to replace Pat Day aboard the Kentucky Derby third Prince of Thieves.

"It's not a reflection on Pat just a coaching change. Bailey was available and is riding so well at the moment," said the trainer.

. Sea Spray can put herself back in the pattern race picture with victory in the Tattersalls Musidora Stakes at York today.

The Peter Chapple Hyam trained filly was touted as a Pertemps 1,000 Guineas contender only to be pulled out in the week leading up to the race.

Buy her defection was not due to injury or worries about her ability her form would have given her every chance of a place at least in the first fillies' Classic.

Rather, her trainer sees her as a top performer in the making over longer trips and preferred to concentrate on preparing her for a midsummer campaign.

Sea Spray is certainly bred to excel at middle distances, out of Meld Stakes winner Sailor's Mate from the family of Yorkshire Oaks scorer Hellenic.

So her form at up to a mile reads particularly encouragingly.

She easily landed a maiden at Kempton last September on her debut and made a winning return to that course in the Masaka Stakes last month, quickening to lead at the distance and bravely holding off some more speedily bred rivals.

Sea Spray will be even harder to beat now that she steps up to a distance more in keeping with her pedigree