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Caught U Looking produced a tough performance to land the seven furlong Group 3 Weld Park Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.
The Noel Meade-trained filly could only manage sixth on debut in a Curragh maiden behind Ylang Ylang yet looked a different horse on her second start at Leopardstown in late July. Ridden by Colin Keane, she always travelled strongly throughout the race and quickened clear in the closing stages to win by five lengths from Stromberg. Stepping up into Group company for the first time, Caught U Looking started 4/1 for the Weld Park Stakes, second favourite behind Ger Lyons' Sakti, who had finished runner up in the Group 2 Debutante Stakes.
Aidan O'Brien's Brilliant set the pace under Gavin Ryan with Sakti always travelling well in a prominent position. Colin Keane attempted to put the race to bed with one-and-a-half furlongs to run aboard Sakti, but Caught U Looking made steady progress under Ben Cohen and hit the front in the final half-furlong to score by half-a-length from Sakti. Brilliant, who was the second choice in the market of the O'Brien runners, kept on well to finish a close third.
After the race, trainer Noel Meade said "That's super. Obviously after she won so easy in Leopardstown there was plenty of interest in her. Tony O'Callaghan and Peter [Kelly], who bred her, own her and despite all the horses he has, Tony wasn't for selling. He just wanted to keep her and said to roll the dice and see how she goes.
"Obviously there is a little bit of pressure on when you do that. Peter was happy enough to do that as well.
"She's a good filly and she's a filly that will improve because she's a Harzand. She's going to be better next year, and is probably a mile-and-a-half filly.
"I hope we can keep her. You keep hoping she can get up to the top, I know she only just won but obviously Ger [Lyons, trainer of Sakti] thinks quite a lot of his and you are always running against something decent from Ballydoyle. It's hard to win a stakes race in Ireland.
"Everything is open now and we can dream a bit now. I put her in the Guineas the other day and we'll enter her in the Oaks as well.
"She's in the Fillies' Mile next month but I wouldn't imagine that will happen now, we'll wait and let her mature."
Paddy Power have introduced Caught U Looking at 33/1 for the 1000 Guineas next May.