Expensive purchase Chateau Le Fleur gained a valuable maiden success at Dundalk this evening as the Dermot Weld trained, Moyglare Stud Farm owned filly landed the Happy Christmas From Dundalk Stadium Maiden under jockey Declan McDonogh.

Weld and McDonogh had earlier, and separately, initiated doubles with Days Without End (Weld, for jockey Ben Coen) and Gregorian Chant (McDonogh, for trainer John Murphy) and 69 rated Chateau Le Fleur doubled their score.

The daughter of Frankel was a 900,000gns yearling purchase (roughly equivalent to E1.05m) but had been beaten in all four of her previous outings but today recorded a battling three parts of a length win over Pampushka

McDonogh later said “that was good. She ran here before and ran well on the surface.

“I just looked across after two strides and they were all taken back, I got it easy all the way around then and she loved it.

“She battled well when they came to her and you couldn't fault her. That was important as she cost a lot of money as a yearling. It's important to get a win with her.

“The blinkers definitely helped her and she travelled sweet all the way. When they joined her she could see them for just the last little bit which helped.

“She battled on well and you couldn't question her today, she was good and she deserved it.”

Quotes from Gary Carson