Classic countdown - news digest

Famous Name impressive in Group Three win

Trainer Dermot Weld and jockey Pat Smullen won both the Group Three Guineas trials on Leopardstown's Sunday card, with Famous Name and Carribean Sunset.

Khalid Abdulla's homebred Famous Name (Dansili - Fame At Last, by Quest For Fame) was impressive, galloping clear of his three rivals - Great Rumpuscat failed to enter the stalls - to win the Group Three Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial by four lengths. The favourite travelled well and quickened readily when asked, beating Moiqen with ease.

Weld said after the race: "The last two winners I've had in this were Refuse To Bend and Grey Swallow and I rate this horse very highly. He was carrying maybe 15lb more than his optimum weight so he will come on a fair bit for that. I'll have to talk to Prince Khalid but the Irish 2000 Guineas would probably be the race for him, although there's also the French Guineas and the Italian Derby."

Famous Name won a Naas maiden by seven lengths last term, which saw him thrust into the Group One National Stakes for his second start. Sixth behind New Approach that day, he later finished second to Jupiter Pluvius in a Group Three.

Carribean Sunset wins as Saoirse Abu is beaten

Carribean Sunset (Danehill Dancer - Bonheur, by Royal Academy) was breaking her maiden at the sixth time of asking, when winning the Group Three Leopardstown 1000 Guineas Trial over seven furlongs She fought out the finish with Halfway To Heaven, getting up by a head at the line.

Dual Group One winner Saoirse Abu failed to quicken and finished third. The saddle slipped on Psalm, the Aidan O'Brien-trained favourite.

Weld said of Carribean Sunset, whose best effort last season was when fourth in the Group Three CL Weld Park Stakes: "The plan had been to make all but he thought they might have been going a shade too quick so Pat took her back. Her run at Cork last time was in very deep ground and that's obviously brought her on. We'll now be looking at the Irish 1,000 Guineas for her next run."

Weld's form continued in the Foxrock race, where Unwritten Rule just held on to beat Aidan O'Brien's well-touted Washington Irving - a Derby entrant and close relative of Alexandrova - by a short head.

Weld also had news of his exciting prospect Chinese White (Dalakhani), saying: "I think she's a very interesting filly when we produce her sometime in May. She has been a bit backward but we will be looking for a stakes race for her and she's certainly one with a future."