Diego Velazquez justified 10-11 favouritism to score on Leopardstown's Irish Champions Festival card for the second year running, winning the Tonybet Solonaway Stakes this time around.
Aidan O'Brien’s Frankel colt won the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes 12 months ago and proved a decisive winner of this Group Two event under a prominent ride from Ryan Moore.
Mutasarref and Mountain Bear filled the minor placings.
""He’s a lovely, straightforward, genuine horse," said O’Brien.
"He has pace enough for a mile and will probably get a mile and a quarter. He’s a lovely relaxed, uncomplicated horse.
"Christophe (Soumillon) rode him (in the French Guineas) and said 'this horse is going to win a Group One very quick’ after it.
"Then it just went a little bit wrong on us. We went to the French Derby, and it was the wrong thing as it was too quick. Then I went up to a mile and a half at Ascot, which was the wrong thing as well.
"He's a speed horse, he’s probably a miler that will get a mile and a quarter."
Diego Velazquez was cut for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day, but O’Brien suggested he may now go globetrotting in the immediate future.
"He could go to a Breeders’ Cup Mile or the Cox Plate," added O’Brien. "Adelaide was third in a trial in France on this weekend (10 years ago) and he won the Cox Plate."
Green Impact backed up the promise of his previous victory over Delacroix to scoop the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes.
Jessica Harrington's son of Wootton Bassett is the first colt to be bred by owner Marc Chan and after a narrow defeat at the Curragh on debut, accounted for Aidan O’Brien’s Delacroix on his second start.
With only four heading to post for the Group Two event, it was O’Brien’s Bernard Shaw who led the quartet along with Green Impact settled in second.
He was asked to win his race entering the straight by Shane Foley, working his way past the Ballydoyle inmate and then showing a game attitude to confirm superiority over the fast-finishing Delacroix by half a length, who was sent off the 5-6 favourite.
Harrington is already dreaming of a trip to Epsom and a tilt at the Derby.
"It’s lovely to get one on the board for this weekend because it’s very tough and very competitive racing," said Harrington.
"No one was going to box him in. It’s so easy in a four-horse race to get into a pocket, but we had that plan well worked out beforehand.
"He was always a lovely horse, very laid-back and very easy to train. He’s a very big horse and I think we probably haven’t seen the best of him yet.
"We can dream all winter. He’s a big horse and needs time to fill out his frame. I think we’ll see a really nice horse next year.
"I don’t know whether we’ll go to the Guineas first and then see what happens.
"I would love to win the Derby. He’s out of a Galileo mare so there is no reason why he wouldn’t get a mile and a half.
"I still think he’s probably a little bit of a weak horse this year and think he’ll be better next year."
Chantez produced a stylish performance to give Ger Lyons and Colin Keane their third win in the Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes.
The Irish champion jockey and Lyons have dominated this Listed event in recent years and this season's candidate was sent off 6-5 favourite to follow up her easy course-and-distance success last month.
After travelling menacingly into the contest, she briefly showed her inexperience when jinking once hitting the front, but ultimately was too good and a commanding winner at the line from Garden Of Eden and Bubbling.
"She’s a lovely filly. I’m surprised how green she ran because in her first two starts she didn’t show any greenness," said Lyons.
"Colin said she seen the photographers. She did everything wrong today and still won.
"If we didn’t have Babouche and Red Letter you’d be very high on this one going into next spring.
"Getting one for each race is a struggle so having three to go to war with over the winter is something to really look forward to.
"We won’t make a decision for a week or two. Coming into this it was 'put her away still next year’, but it’s all about ground as she’s a top of the ground filly."
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