Buttons fits the bill for O’Brien and Moore at Leopardstown geegeez.co.uk

Aidan O’Brien’s Buttons just grasped a debut success in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden at Leopardstown.

The two-year-old is by Kingman and out of the 2011 Oaks runner-up Wonder Of Wonders, with Ryan Moore opting to ride her ahead of her equally well-bred stablemate Content.

Wayne Lordan took the ride on the latter, by Galileo out of Mecca’s Angel, and the two were engaged in a very tight finish with Ger Lyons’ Serious notions.

👀 Stirring finish to the opener at @LeopardstownRC

Buttons (Kingman) gets up on the line to make a winning debut for team @Ballydoyle pic.twitter.com/l4ie0MtBRB

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 8, 2023

On the line Content was visibly beaten, but the judge had to split the other two fillies and Buttons was eventually announced the winner by a nose.

“We’re delighted with her. We rushed her a little bit to get her out because we thought she could be a Chesham filly, but Ryan just said she’s too babyish for that,” said O’Brien.

“We’ll just pull back and give her a bit of time before we go again.

“Ryan said even though she’s by Kingman she will stay and seven (furlongs) would be her minimum. She was green turning and everything. She’s a very well-bred filly.

“Wayne’s filly finished very strong and she’s a well-bred filly as well.”

O’Brien and Moore did miss out when the strong late charge of Salt Lake City proved not enough to overhaul 15-8 favourite Moon De Vega and Billy Lee in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Glencairn Stakes.

The market leader hit the front deep inside the final furlong when taking over from Vega Magnifico and ultimately had a neck to spare over the Ballydoyle runner.

The winner was making it two from two since joining Paddy Twomey, who said: “She’s a nice filly to have. She won her winners’ race and now she’s after winning her Listed race.

“I thought initially that nine furlongs might be a bit sharp for her, but she did it well in Gowran over nine and a half and Billy said there that she’s very comfortable at that distance.

“I’d say she’ll go for the Kilboy Stakes on Oaks weekend, it’s nine furlongs and a Group Three. That would be the logical next step.

“We haven’t been hard on her at home so hopefully she can keep improving.”

But there was another winner for the O’Brien-Moore combination, as Tower Of London obliged as the 11-10 favourite in the King George V Cup, the second Listed race on the card.

O’Brien said: “We’re delighted he won, but we didn’t learn a lot as it was a very slow pace.

“We know that he can quicken, he did that as a two-year-old. There are a couple of races in Ascot, he could go either a mile and a quarter or a mile and a half.

“He might be a horse that likes to take his time and not be produced until late, Ryan gave him a perfect ride because they were going so slow he had to go.

“He ran bad in the Derby Trial (at Leopardstown) and that was probably the ground and he was a bit keen behind Auguste Rodin here last year.

“Looking at him he’s probably a mile-and-a-quarter plus horse who wants plenty of pace on in front of him and to take your time. I’d say that’s him.”

When asked if he could be a Leger horse like his brother Capri, he added: “Maybe, but I don’t know whether he’ll stay that far. He tanks a bit, he’s a strong traveller.

“He’ll come forward from the run as he still had a bit of a tummy on him. We’ll play it by ear but Ascot is the plan and we’ll see then if he comes out of that OK.”

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