TWENTY MINUTES after Entrepreneur carried the Michael Tahor colours to a superlative success in the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas, Desert King returned with the same silks to a smiling Aidan O'Brien in the winners' enclosure of the Tetrarch Stakes.

"Entrepreneur took the pressure off me," grinned O'Brien, but the boyish face was hardly creased in worry lines. Instead the master of Ballydoyle can now realistically look forward to his own slice of classic glory in the Lexus Irish 2,000 in 20 days time.

Despite his Group One penalty and an insufficient distance, the colt powered five and a half lengths clear for Christy Roche in a time of one minute 22.8 seconds on Saturday, which is the fastest the Tetrarch has ever been won by. It was wholly impressive in itself, but the impression that better is to come was undeniable.

"He's such a big strong horse that he didn't lose any weight from his first run of the season in the Gladness," O'Brien said. "He's starting to get going now and travel in his races. What pleased me is that he had to go to work today and then quickened away.

Dance Design's ability to quicken has never been in question, but before the Mooreshridge Stakes, the sickness cloud over Dermot Weld's yard hung persistently. Ultimately, the Irish Oaks winner overcame all doubts to win and, in the circumstances, Weld was not concerned with the narrow margin of victory over Raiyoun.

"It was her first run of the season, she was giving 6lbs and she got tired. The majority of my horses, though not all, are coming out of the virus but this filly wouldn't know how to run a bad race," Weld declared, before nominating the Tattersalls Gold Cup, also at the Curragh, as Dance Design's next target.

Dangerous Diva is proving to be a pretty versatile filly too and stepped back in distance to win the Athasi Stakes by a fast diminishing half length from Azra.