< Zoffany took over as favourite for next year's 2000 Guineas at Newmarket after a thrilling victory in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.
Odds-on favourite Strong Suit was always handy and everything seemed to be going to plan for him as he went for home in the final furlong with Jim Bolger's Glor Na Mara in hot pursuit.
But Johnny Murtagh was biding his time on Zoffany and he reeled in the leaders before popping the Aidan O'Brien-trained 3-1 shot through a gap to grab the prize by half a length close home.
Glor Na Mara edged out Strong Suit for second place in the Group One contest, which has now been won by O'Brien 11 times in the last 13 runnings.
There was more success for Ballydoyle as Arc favourite Fame And Glory made an entirely satisfactory return to racecourse action to mop up the Group Two Keeneland Royal Whip Stakes.
Sent off the 1-12 favourite in the face of weak opposition, he was settled in third by Murtagh and caught front-running stablemate Dixie Music a furlong out to score by three and a half lengths.
O'Brien's Spin (2-1 favourite) stepped up on the promise of her Leopardstown debut fourth to take the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden. stretching nicely clear in the final furlong to beat stablemate Luxurious by four and a half lengths.
It wasn't all plain sailing for the Ballydoyle battalions as the Fran Berry-ridden Laughing Lashes (5-1) overturned last month's Leopardstown form with Together to take the Group Two Keeneland Debutante Stakes for Jessie Harrington.
Together, who won by a length last time, never threatened in third as Laughing Lashes overhauled the favourite's stablemate Misty For Me 100 yards out to score by a length.
Michael Halford's Snaefell (9-1) won the Patrick P O'Leary Memorial Phoenix Sprint Stakes (Group Three) in 2008 and the six-year-old repeated the trick when Shane Foley got him home by three-quarters of a length from Luisant
