Published Wednesday 28 October 2015

With all the excitement in Port Douglas and the the rest of the nation for the upcoming 2015 Melbourne Cup, over in Ireland Port Douglas is already a winner.

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Trainer Aidan O’Brien won the hat-trick in the Juddmonte Beresford Stakes at the Curragh all thanks to the least fancied of the trio - a horse that goes by the name of Port Douglas.

The Ballydoyle supremo fielded three runners in the feature in an attempt to emulate his predecessor's record and it was the least fancied of the trio - 14/1 shot Port Douglas that got the job done in game fashion under Emmet McNamara.

An impressive winner on his Leopardstown debut but beaten twice since, Port Douglas was a 14/1 shot and looked booked for pacemaking duties after being rushed into an early lead.

The youngster looked set to give way when passed by Dermot Weld's 9/4 joint-favourite True Solitaire, but roared back tenaciously to get back up by a short-head.

O'Brien reflected: "He's a tough horse and was a bit lazy last time so we put the blinkers on to keep him awake. He could go for the Racing Post Trophy and is a typical middle-distance horse.

Port Douglas' success was the highlight of another fine afternoon for the champion trainer's team.

Are you ready for Melbourne Cup, Port Douglas?