Tomahawk wins seasonal bow

Tomahawk showed his well-being on his seasonal reappearance for trainer Aidan O'Brien when scoring a comfortable one length victory over the Kevin Prendergast-trained Abunawwas in the Listed Oak Lodge Sires Loughbrown Stakes, over seven furlongs, at the Curragh, Sunday.

Sent off the 1-2 favourite, Michael Kinane settled Tomahawk in fourth behind the slow early pace. Always travelling well he was asked to assert his authority over a furlong from home and did so in good style taking the lead inside the last for a smooth win. A stewards enquiry was called after the second-placed Abunawwas was short of room two furlongs out but the placings were unchanged.

This was Tomahawk's second win at this meeting, the first of the new Irish flat season, having won the opening race last year before finishing runner-up three times in England including in two Group One events, both at Newmarket in October.

Speaking after the race, O'Brien said: "He ran a few gruellers last year and we probably done the wrong thing by taking him to America so soon after running at Newmarket.

"You would hope that he'd stay a mile judging on that run and he also appears to have plenty of speed. He is obviously a guineas contender but I'm not sure if it well be Newmarket or back here for the Irish."

British bookmakers reacted by cutting his odds to around 12-1 for the Two Thousand Guineas at Newmarket, where his stable-mate Hold That Tiger is as short as 7-2 with some firms.