Van Nistelrooy retained his unbeaten record and is heading for the National Stakes next month following his victory in the Galileo Futurity Stakes at the Curragh on Saturday.

Sent off the even-money favourite, Van Nistlerooy was produced with a late run by Michael Kinane to overtake the lone English runner Wilful and hold off Chappel Cresent by a neck to record his third success in a fast time.

Easy to back in the betting ring because of fears over the coughing among the Ballydoyle juveniles, the American-bred winner "rode very fresh and just did the minimum according to Mick Kinane," said champion trainer Aidan O'Brien, who indicated that the horse would complete his first season back at the Curragh next month.

"The plan all along was for him to have four runs, ending with the Aga Khan Studs National Stakes on September 15th. It's a relief to see him win again as our two-year-olds are very much under a cloud with the coughing," O'Brien added. "He was a good bit off full fitness because we were afraid to do much with him in the past week or two."

Nevertheless, the one minute, 24.3 seconds returned was over a second faster than that recorded by stable companion Hawk Wing who also scored for Kinane and O'Brien in last year's Futurity Stakes on ground that was probably a bit quicker than Saturday's official description of good to yielding.

Van Nistlerooy remains a 16 to 1 chance with Paddy Power for the Sagitta 2000 Guineas.

O'Brien had better news of his older horses, remarking: "I think they are over the hump and all the good ones are in full work again. We will be looking to run most of them in a fortnight or so at the earliest."