Saturday's Curragh feature, the CL Weld Park Stakes, may remember Dermot Weld's father but going into this year's renewal it was John Oxx who was the most successful current trainer in the race with five wins.
Going into the final furlong on Saturday, it looked like number six for Oxx when the favourite Earlene began to go clear. However, in what must have given Weld immense pleasure, Theoretically powered home under a strong Pat Smullen drive to pip the favourite by a head.
That brought Weld's own race total to five and in Theoretically, the Curragh trainer believes he has the potential goods to match his 1987 heroine Trusted Partner who went on to land the following season's Irish 1,000 Guineas.
"I do see her as an Irish Guineas filly with maybe the Athasi as a warm-up. She has always shown talent but she has battled really well there," Weld said.
It was a sign of how different a filly Poco A Poco was compared to her last Curragh appearance that she didn't have to battle at all to win the Blenheim Stakes by an easy three lengths. Indeed the only anxiety arose through a stewards' inquiry into how Poco A Poco had drifted on to the runner-up Conormara when beginning her final surge.
"Sometimes you drive home from the races thinking about giving up because you don't know how something has happened. That's the way it was after the last day, and we still don't know what happened," said trainer Eddie Lynam.
Declan McDonogh lost out on the winning ride in the English Cambridgeshire through remaining loyal to his Curragh commitments and Miltonfield's gutsy head defeat of the favourite Laurentia eased the pain somewhat in the Irish Cesarewitch.
"I had commitments to Kevin Prendergast and John Mulhern so I had to say no to the ride on She's Our Mare," McDonogh said. He could get the chance for English compensation though as Miltonfield, also the 1996 Cesarewitch winner, could go to Newmarket in 25 days time for a handicap.
In a day of close finishes on very heavy ground, Kenema made virtually all the running to hold off Rolo Tomasi by the minimum margin in the Flying Post Handicap while the day ended with John Oxx beating off Dermot Weld, courtesy of Remuria in the Mitsubishi Stakes.
