Racing: Nightime sprung a minor surprise as she claimed the Boylesports Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh this afternoon.
Trained by Dermot Weld and ridden by Pat Smullen, the 12-1 shot came through in the final two furlongs to collar long-time leader Confidential Lady.
Nightime kept on well in the closing stages to hold the challenge of outsider Ardbrae Lady by an impressive six lengths, with Queen Cleopatra in third.
Sir Mark Prescott's Confidential Lady, runner-up in the English equivalent at Newmarket, was sent off the 5-2 favourite and she was smartly away under Seb Sanders to take the early lead.
Still in front turning into the straight, the challengers were lining up and as she began to toil, Nightime swept through to take it up.
Although 50-1 chance Ardbrae Lass valiantly tried to rally, she could not catch the winner who powered away to claim the mile Classic.
Weld said: "I am delighted to win this for my mother, who is in her 90th year. She bred her and has always believed in her.
"She owns the dam and has only got six mares, so when you consider she bred Grey Swallow as well, she has a pretty good strike-rate.
"I entered Nightime in the Coronation Stakes a while ago, which would indicate the regard in which I hold her and we will consider that race as well as the Irish Oaks and the Pretty Polly.
"I am quite happy that she will get 10 furlongs or a mile and a half."
Smullen added: "I cannot believe how easy she was going and how easily she won. They went a generous pace and she is a mile and a quarter filly.
"I was prepared to make the running but when Confidential Lady decided to make it, that was ideal."
Joe Murphy, trainer of the runner-up, said: "I am delighted with her but she wants better ground. She is in the Irish Oaks, the Pretty Polly and a Group Three here over seven furlongs and she will go for one of those three.
"She is improving all the time."
Confidential Lady eventually finished sixth and Sanders said: "The plan was always to be handy or make it and if we were, we were always going to come across to the stands side.
"She probably just got tired but I don't think she has run her true race.
"There is a possibility the Newmarket race might have taken the edge off her as she did have a hard race that day, but she had still been working well in the mornings."