Daliapour gave Sir Michael Stoute the perfect boost on the eve of the Budweiser Irish Derby by rolling back the years to win at the Curragh today.
The six-year-old, who finished second for Luca Cumani in the 1999 running of the Classic in which his current trainer saddles Balakheri and Princely Venture tomorrow, ended an 18-month losing run with a decisive victory in the IAWS Curragh Cup.
Sent off at 3-1 for the Group Three contest, he cruised up to front-running Murghem two furlongs out under Michael Kinane, soon quickened clear and went on to score by a comfortable two lengths from Cumani's 11-8 favourite Boreas.
Murghem faded into fourth place with the other British raider L'Evangile last of seven. It was Daliapour's first success since he won the Hong Kong Vase in 2000, following which he spent a fruitless spell in the Far Eastern territory and was sent back to Britain after failing to take to the training regime.
"We are delighted with that, he is right back there on top," said Stoute's partner Coral Pritchard-Gordon.
"Michael said he settled well and he was thrilled with him.
"We haven't looked beyond today as we wanted to get him through this race, get him back into the winner's enclosure and get his confidence back."
Miss Pritchard-Gordon revealed that King Edward VII Stakes winner Balakheri will carry more stable confidence than Haydock maiden victor Princely Venture when the pair take on hot favourite High Chaparral tomorrow.
"The ground will hopefully suit Balakheri," she said. "He is very well in himself and Michael thought he came out of the race at Ascot very well in himself. We hope he should run a big race.
"Princely Venture is very well and we hope he can run into a place, to be realistic."
Dermot Weld, who runs Derby Trial second In Time's Eye and outsider Jazz Beat in tomorrow's big race, also limbered up with a winner thanks to Nashwan Rose, who earned a tilt at a Maisons-Lafitte Listed race by landing the Woodies DIY Handicap.
"She was disappointing in the Italian Oaks last time but the ground was very firm and it was very humid," he said of the winner. "She has been working well and we thought she would win today."
Looking ahead to tomorrow Weld added: "I don't want to see any more rain for In Time's Eye. I have the highest regard for High Chaparral and he is a top mile-and-a-half horse but I think In Time's Eye will run very well.
"And Jazz Beat has come on a good deal for his run at Royal Ascot. I don't know if he will get a mile and a half but if he does I think he will run a very positive race."
The Michael Jarvis-trained Tarfshi completed a Pattern race double for Britain by making all in the Group Two Hunston Financial Pretty Polly Stakes, scoring by five lengths.
Jockey Philip Robinson said: "She's such a game filly I decided to make use of an easy lead. When I kicked I thought it would take something special to pass us - it's hard to get by her."
Aidan O'Brien suffered another two-year-old reverse in the Irish Examiner EBF Maiden.
The champion trainer, who saddled three beaten odds-on juveniles at Royal Ascot, saw 1-2 favourite Catcher In The Rye outbattled in the closing stages and go down by a short-head to 14-1 shot European.
The winner was making his debut and his trainer Con Collins said: "He was working well but I didn't think he was fit enough to win."
European is set to return to the Curragh for next month's Tattersalls Breeders Stakes.