Crystal Black continued his love affair with the Curragh when scooping another good pot in the Infinite Energy Handicap over 1m2f.

This makes it four wins and a place from his last five appearances at Headquarters.

Colin Keane improved him to fourth a furlong down and the six-year-old gelding really warmed to his task to catch Deakin in the shadow of the post.

The winner prevailed by a neck at 3/1 from the 13/2 runner-up. Saturn the 9/4 favourite, was another three-parts of a length back in third.

Trainer Gerry Keane said: “He's a good horse, it's great to get a good one.

“The ground was obviously a bit of a worry today. I thought a furlong out we were in trouble, he didn't get a run until very late. They are all great rides when they work out!

“Last night it was just lovely ground, it was supposed to rain and it didn't. We were worried but he seems to go on any ground and if you are going to run him anywhere you'd run him here.

“He has to be a black-type horse now. The boys want to go to Ascot, it will be either one of the big handicaps or the mile-and-two Listed race. He'll be entered in two or three of them.

“I don't know what these boys are going to do when he gets beat!

“He's improved all year, he was wrong early last year and it took him a few runs to get him right. This year it's been a clear run the whole way with him.

“We train him out of a woodchip paddock where he has a shelter in it, he isn't in a stable at all. It seems to work.”

Additional reporting by Gary Carson