Emulous got the better of her big rival, Lolly For Dolly in the Group 3 TRI Equestrian Stakes for fillies and mares at the Curragh.

Lolly For Dolly took over from the pace-setting Termagant perhaps earlier than her rider Wayne Lordan would have liked and Pat Smullen was soon sitting pretty in her slip-stream on Emulous. Once asked to go and win her race in the final furlong, Emulous stayed on well to score convincingly.

Winning trainer Dermot Weld said of the Prince Khalid Abdulla-owned four-year-old daughter of Dansili: "She is very consistent and that is her third Group race win. She is a beautiful filly to train and she likes a slight ease in the ground.

"I'll talk to Lord Grimthorpe (owner's racing manager) now and we'll consider Royal Ascot. The Windsor Forest would be the race for her there.

"She could travel throughout the season and I'd expect her to progress as the year goes on."

Meanwhile Pat Smullen said: "She was very good and I think there is a very big day in her. The rain took the sting out of the ground for her. I rode her too prominent last time and I went back to the usual tactics today."